CHURCH FUNDS SHORT

Evening Star, Issue 21193, 29 August 1932, Page 9

CHURCH FUNDS SHORT

HUGE DEFALCATIONS ARREST OF JOHN MACHRAY Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. WINNIPEG, August 27. Funds amounting to 1,250.000 dollars of the Church of England Diocese of Rupert’s Island and St. John’s College have been seriously depleted. This was disclosed on Saturday by heads of the church who started an examination of the books following the arrest two days ago of John Machray, bursar of the University of Manitoba and chancellor of Rupert’s Island Diocese. Only 250,000 dollars of the 1,250,000 dollars of the fund are intact. This sum is accredited to the ecclesiastical province, and was not handled by Machray. The remainder of the church trust funds, divided between the Bishop’s Fund, the St. John’s College Fund, and the St. John’s Cemetery Fund, have been impaired to an alarming extent. The Clergymens’ Retirement Fund has also seriously been depleted. [Previous messages read: It was discovered. after several days spent in investigation, that the University of Manitoba’s endowment trust fund, which was recently officially reported to amount to 1,600,000 dollars, now amounts approximately to AGO,OOO dollars through thefts totalmig 840,000 dollars and bad investments. John A. Machray, K.C.. a prominent lawyer and chairman of the Board of Governors, and a bursar of the nniversty, was arrested and specifically charged with the theft of 47,000 dollars. Owing to his ill-health the case was remanded until September 1. He was released on a 50,000 dollar bail. Machray has long been connected with educational and religious affairs of the province.]