CHARGE OF FORGERY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 18, 22 January 1916, Page 11

CHARGE OF FORGERY

THE MOON CASE.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. (BI TBIiBGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 21st January. At the Magistrate's Court, the charge against Constance . Moon, at one time employed in the Christchurch bureau of the Tourist Department, that on 10th May, 1915, at Christchurch, she made a false document by altering an entry in the bank passbook from £15 10s to £115 10s, was continued.

George Washington Coutts Moon, who up to 29th October last was the officer in, charge: of the Government Tourist Office, stated that the day after the' departmental enquiry, he spoke to his daughter, who handed to him a closed envelope containing the following ' statement: —"6, Burnell-avenue, Thorndon, 12th December, 1915.—1 admit altering the bank receipt at the Christchurch agency. .At the time I was terribly upset and worried about the shortage in cash, and in a moment ■of weakness made the alteration, thinking to. shield father, who, though I knew ho had not appropriated any of the money, was responsible: lam truly sorry for having done such a silly thing, but I did not realise for one moment the seriousness of the offence, and I have suffered very much, and trust you will not deal too harshly with me.— Constance Moon."

Witness handed the letter unopened to Mr. Freethey, 'chief clerk at the Wellington office, who, on opening it, drew attention to the absence of signature. He took the document to his daughter, who freely ■ signed it., In the earlier part of the season last year the office staff was overworked, and the books got very.much in arrears, and got very much into a muddle. Between Christmas, 1914, and Easter, .1915, his daughter was laway ill for a month, and witness and a cadet ran the About this time he became aware of the shortages, and when his daughter returned both had a go at trying to put matters right. He realised then there were considerable shortages. The custom had grown up under which commercial firms got tickets on credit. They would" give instructions over, the telephone for tho issue, of tickets, and would pay by. cheque a few days' later. Witness knew occasions when the cadet omitted to debit various firms with these amounts, and a good deal of the shortage was due to that cause. He did not intend suggesting dishonesty on the part of anyone. He discovered seven firms who, on consulting their own. books, found that they had not paid what they owed the Department, totalling £75. Witness collected the amount, and reimbursed himself (in part) for the £128 he had made good. The shortages were due partly to un-der-charging, resulting from the issue of coupons iri'stead of the ordinary railway tickets, at excursion time, when the fares were reduced. There ought to have been a check in Wellington week'by week on the returns ■of the Christchurch agency, but the headquarters' check was nine months behind. Had the Christohurch. returns been checked he would have known from week to week about all the shortages, and would have made good the shortages as requisitioned for as a result. The enquiry was held in May and June, and it was not till December last that the falsification of the deposit-book was discovered.

William Henry Freethey, Chief Clerk of the Tourist Department, Wellington, stated that he examined the books. There were serious errors both on the debit and credit side, whilst there was a large number of omissions to extend values on the returns. There was clear evidence of muddlement in the accounts.

Augustus W. Eames, Government Audit Inspector, Christchurch, stated that on sth to 12th June, 1915, he audited the books' of the Tourist Department, Christchurch, covering a period from Ist, January, 1914, to 21st May, 1915. He examined the paying-book, and treated an entry on 10th May, 1915, of £115 10s as bona fide. Taking this as correct, he discovered a deficiency of £128 9s Id. The total shortage, after discovering the alteration of figures in the paying-book,' was £228 9s.

Accused pleaded guilty, and was remanded for sentence. Bail, which was forthcoming, was fixed—accused £100 and two sureties of £50 each.