PUT EMPTY BOXES AMONG FULL ONES TO MAKE UP QUOTA

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6665, 19 July 1928, Page 7

PUT EMPTY BOXES AMONG FULL ONES TO MAKE UP QUOTA

Salesman Robs Firm Of Butter Worth £2OOO PLEADS GUILTY WHEN CHARGED AT WELLINGTON WELLINGTON, Last Night. Arthur Hobbs, a salesman, to-day .pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court before Mr. E. Page S.M. to the theft from. Joseph Nathan and Co., by whom he was employed, , of 500 boxes of butter valued at £2OOO. Tho method employed in tho theft was for Hobbs to give to customers a docket for one amount of butter and to account to tho . firm for a lesser amount and pocket the difference he may have received in the way of payment. ' ' ‘ It was suggested to-day that as the thefts were so large Hobbs must have been working in collusion with someone else. When stock was taken it was also found that empty boxes had been placed among full’ones and counted as full ones." . . 1 . ~ Edwards, the '.firm’s merchandise manager, gave cyidenco in regard to the method of stocktaking and keeping of accounts in the course of which he stated that early in .March as a result of something ho heard ho counted the boxes in a stack and found, that -a number of empty ones had been placed among the ftfll ones, the shortage being 520 making a deficiency of 33,7541b5. Twenty boxes since had boon accounted few ' ' At previous stocktakings boxes were merely counted not checked as to whether they contained butter or not. To counsel witness said his inference was that there had been collusion and not negligence. Hobbs was a delivery driver supplied with delivery books. , ■ V A grocer, Neil, gave evidence as to having invariably paid Hobbs in cash or secondhand cheques., . v Hughes, assistant secretary of the firm, said he had obtained from many of the customers receipts they had. been given by Hobbs. Altogether accused had received £424 19s lOd representing the value of 122 boxes not accounted for. Ho described the system by which the shortages were hidden by Hobbs in manipulating the ' vouchor book. Actually 122 boxes wore traced to Hobbs but the total shortage was 500. It appeared to witness that someone had been in collusion with Hobbs It was probable ,part of tho money collected by him was shared with someone else, but witness had no definite proof of that. Counsel, said accused would' plead guilty and asked that tho following statement bo recorded in the depositions.,' , ; ,; ! v"' i : “1 have entered a plea of guilty to the whole charge with a view to saving expense to all; parties concerned by a protracted trial. I admit haying .derived benefit from the theft of such boxes of butter as are traced to me but have received nothing directly or indirectly from any greater number.” Accused was committed to tho Supreme Court for sentence.