“YOU HAVE TO DO IT.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 8 July 1925, Page 3

“YOU HAVE TO DO IT.”

BUSINESS men AND STRANGERS’ CHEQUES.

REPLY TO MAGISTERIAL

STRICTURES,

During the hearing of a charge of false pretences at th© Dunedin Police Court, in which the evidence disclosed that an old man had obtained two sums of money and a suit of clothes by means of valueless cheques from a tradesman and a publican,. th© Magistrate (Mr. Bartholomew) commented on, the surprising fact that it was an apparently easy matter for anyone without a banking account to write out a cheque and get it cashed. Chief-Detective Lewis said that accused had also been passing valueless cheques at Timuru and Christchurch. In fact, he said, lie had gone right- on to Wanganui by this means. When he rail out*of cash he simply wrote out a cheque for £lO and got it cashed, evidently without difficulty. The Magistrate : “People seem to be ns credulous elsewhere as they are here.'’ It was surprising, lie added, that people went in for other forms of crime when it was so easy to obtain large sums by means of valueless cheques. He thought it was tim© business men tightened up a little, though they had been, warned time after time. . The Chief Detective concurred in tins view, stating that something should | >e done particularly in view of the fact that the city would he full; of Exhibition visitors in a few months. Accused had adonted no special method, but just wrote out a cheque whenever lie wanted more money. In view of the Magistrate’s strictures, a Dunedin Star representative interviewed tlio accountant of a leadill"- drapery establishment, who stated it was a trad© practice to take cheques,' and although it was recognised there was a certain amount of risk in doing so he stressed the fact that there would practically h© no business done at all if they only accepted cheques from those known to the management to have hanking accounts. Another business man said: “It is very easy to make statements about careless business people, but the fact is if we turned down a cheque we would lose a great percentage of our business. It is very hard to discriminate, and you might as well close up if you are going to refuse to take cheques. It is a hit of a gamble, but you have got to'do it.”