ELEVEN CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 285, 28 August 1931, Page 10

ELEVEN CHARGES

Traveller Sent for Trial ALLEGEDLY KEPT MONEY Dominion Sffctai Servtcf Palmerston North, August 26. Eleven charges, one of forgery, and ten of failure to account for. money received, were preferred against Albert George Purdie, a commercial traveller, aged 55, of Wellington, in the Palmerston North Police Court this morning before Alessrs. J. T. Bosworth and C. Alowlem, J.P.’s. Detective H. Russell stated that accused endorsed a cheque made payable to 'W. Phillips and Co., of Auckland, his employers, and that he had received sums, totalling over £6O, in payment from his clients on behalf of his employers, but had failed >to account for them. Evidence was given by Mr. H. Byers, Palmerston North, that accused had endorsed and cashed a cheque made payable to Phillips and Co. Walter Phillips, of Auckland, the proprietor of the business which employed Purdie, whose duty it was to canvass for orders and to collect accounts, stated that accused had been in his employ for fifteen months, being paid on a commission basis direct Accused had no authority, witness stated, to endorse cheques payable to his firm, nor to withhold any payments received by him. Cross-examined by Mr. M. H. Oram, who appeared for accused, witness admitted that it had previously happened that Purdie had not sent in his collections for a time, but had then sent in what money he had due to the firm at the end of a certain period. Reserving his defence, accused pleaded not guilty and, electing to be tried by a jury, he was committed to the next session of the Supreme Court at Palmerston North. ' Bail was allowed upon accused s own recognisance of £75 with another surety of a similar amount. ■