FAN TAM BANK

Grey River Argus, 21 March 1947, Page 6

FAN TAM BANK

AUCKLAND, March 18.

The circumstances of the theft of a safe from Chinese premises in Greys Avenue in January, 1945, were recalled in a hearing of a civil claim for the recovery of money brought before Mr Justice Johnston. The safe, which was alleged to have contained £5OOO, was- afterwards recovered by the police from Manukau Harbour. Three men, a Chinese, a European and a Maori, were subsequently each sentenced to a year’s reformative detention for their part in the crime.

The plaintiffs in the action were Wong Gee Yeat, fruiterer, and 25 other Chinese who sought to recover from the defendant, Lee Hoy Chong, sums totalling £1541, alleged to have been entrusted to him and which he had failed to return.

The defence was that the money, if paid, had been paid for the illegal purpose of running a fan tan bank, and was therefore not able to be recovered.

It was further submitted that money belonging to the bank to the value of £l5OO had been stolen from Lee Chong’s safe through, no fault of his.

Mr Meredith said it was alleged that the money had been lost as a result of Lee Chong’s negligence. It had been kept in a small safe (hat could easily be manhandled and Lee Chong had not slept on the premises.

There wore no odds in favour of the bank, and the game was absolutely fair, though it was a game of chance that had been declared illegal. At the end of Saturday night, if there was any excess capital in the I bank, it was divided among share- ’ holders. The purpose for’which the | money was to be used did not affect the validity of the plaintiff’s claim. The hearing was adjourned.