MISSING MONEYS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10737, 7 November 1928, Page 2

MISSING MONEYS.

CHARGE .AGAINST BUILDING SOCIETY EX-SECRETARY , CPT6BB ASfIOOIO-tlOD.' AUCKLAND, Nov, 6. • The trial of Frederick William Webster, formerly .secretary to the Wliangnrc-i ■ Co-operativo Term inati ng Building Society, _ charged it.li stealing from the society sums amounting to £1498, as continued in the Supreme Court. Donald Webster, aged 20, son of the accused, who worked in the Building Society’s office, said there was a practice in the office of making peoplo financial when- they actually had not paid the money. On the' day of tho ballot, lie would write up peoplo who were in arrears as if they were ahead. There was a lot of that done; it had been done for all directors, except Mr Crawford. In some cases, this led, to people getting credit for payments thev had not made,

Replying to Mr Meredith (Crown Prosecutor); witness said that they did not take a noto of the people they made financial and it, was a matter of memory whether they got that money paid to them. Witness ?nid Miss Brown-and Jie were lax in office methods and incurred his father’s reprimand on occasions. Alexander M. Rust, auditor for the building society, and a former school headmaster before giving evidence, said he had been very sick, hut someone had suggested that his honor was at, stake. When Webster first started as secretary, everything was written in ’ very regularly, ■ Witness did all the ledger and journal work for himself. Later, Webster became dilatory in entering up. Witness frequently assisted him, not for payment, but because he looked upon him as a struggling man and wanted to assist him. Witness generally did most of the preparation of the balance sheet himself from the records of the' books. He always found the dockets exceedingly correct. After Webster’s first year, witness was unable to verify the cash in hand, because the balance was so late. He reported to Mr Crawford a Shortage of approximately £I3OO for the year ended August 12, 1928, , When. Mr Meredith (Crown Prosecutor), formally asked witness if he had ever had any of that money, witness responded that he was“iieither a thief, a rogue nor a liar.” In reply to Mr Johnstone, for the accused, witness said he had not given evidence in the Lower Court, He had had advice from his 'doctor that he ought not to be worried with the details of these books and tliat he should hot give evidence. Witness Said he had not had legal advice that he ought to come to court, His sister had had legal advice of something to that effect. The ledger and journal of the society were his own property, bought with his own money. There was a ledger and journal that he had not, handed over to Mr Reid,, accountant, who had examined the books. Witness was not certain if these still existed, but he had not .destroyed them. When asked by His Honor where these books were, witness said: ‘I have not the slightest idea; they took 'all my books and everything away from me when I became ill and I have not been back to Whangarei,” In reply to Mr Johnstone, witness caid he could have counted the cash in hand on August 12 annually if lie had desired. The each in hand and in the bank Were sometimes taken together in the balance sheets. The' ease was' further adjourned until to-morrow.