CHARGES OF THEFT

SUM OF £835 INVOLVED CASE AGAINST CHINESE . [BY TELEGRATH —OWN COR RESPONDENT J CHRISTCIIURCH, Saturday ' A Chinese fruiterer, Ghang Chew Chong (Dr. A. L. Haslam), pleader] not guilty in the Magistrate's Court, hefore Mr. E. C. Levvoy, S.M., to a charge of stealing £B!is, the'property of Wong Brothers. He was committed to the Supreme Court for trial, and admitted to bail in his own recognisance of £2OO. and two sureties of £IOO. Ho was ordered to report daily to the police. . Another Chinese, charged under the name of Arthur Wong, pleaded guilty to a charge of entering the premises of Wong Brothers and committing theft. Ho was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on both charges. In a statement, Wong said he had met another Chinese, who had told him that there was a large sum of money in Wong Brothers' safe. He had met the Chinese about 1.30 on the morning of July 27 and accompanied him to Wong Brothers' limine. Ho said that lie wont up to Harry Wong's-bedroom and had taken his keys, -together with £4l in money from his pocket. He then opened the safe with the other Chinese and they took a largo sum of money. They lo!t by the front door, and since then lie had not seen the other Chinese. Wong' said that ho did not know the other man's name. He returned to Chong's place, where ho placed the money in a rolled oats bag. Wong had arranged to meet the other man the following morning, but he had not seen him.

Chong, in a statement, admitted that he had found the money in the bag and had divided it into throe lots. Ho had placed £6OO under his mattress and the remainder had been 'wrapped up in brown paper. He had paid a debt of £25 with some of the money. He stated to the detectives that lid hid the money because lie did not know how to dispose of it; but he denied any knowledge of the theft from Wong Brothers' premises.