THEFT CHARGE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19460, 6 November 1928, Page 14

THEFT CHARGE.

BIG SUM INVOLVED.

BX-SBCRBTABY STANDS TBUL.

(niH amocxaxiov wom***^ AUCKLAND, November 8. The former secretary of the Whangarei Co-operative Terminating Building Society, Frederick William Webster, stood his trial before Mr Justice Blair in the Supreme Court on » •J"fjjj receiving divers moneys totalling *14»» on terms requiring him to account for them, fraudulently omitting to account for them or pay them in, and so com mitting theft. . v. Mr Johnstone, for accused, raised objection to the term "divers sums of money" in the indictment, as it did not in any way identify the sums He moved that the indictment should be quashed, and his Honour noted tne point for a later decision. Mr Meredith, Crown Prosecutor, said the Whangarei Building Society commenced in 1924, and Webster was its secretary until he was »™P end « d * August, 1928. At the end «/*'»•*"' year Mr A. M. Bust, the alitor, gave such a favourable report of Webster's work that the directors fleeMed to increase his salary from £IOO to «IW. At the end of the second year things were not going as smoothly as they should have been. In August, l»2', Webster was cautioned about this, ana last May the auditor put in a report complaining that the books were not up to date, and that the general position was unsatisfatcory. Mr Rust was given instructions to carry on a continuous audit On August 22nd he reported that he could not complete the balancesheet for the year ending August 12th owing to a shortage of over &IWO- - said: "I cannot understand it. I could not possibly have used as much as that." On being questioned, We&ster admitted that he might have taken as much as £l5O or even £2OO. Counsel commented that Mr Jiust seemed to have been exceedingly slack and possibly exceedingly weak. If not cognisant of what was going on, he must have been very careless and perfunctory in the way he was carrying out his duties. In none of the interviews in which accused was faced with a shortage did he suggest any inaccuracy in the figures or blame anyone, else His only explanation was that tne money had gone ho did not know how, but that he had not had it. He eventually exonerated Mr Bust, his own son, and Miss Brown, both of whom worked in the office for him. The position was fully investigated by Messrs Thomson, Gray, and Rodger, auditors, of Auckland, who found a total shortage of £1490 16s Bd. The case for the prosecution has not yet concluded. —1