SALE OF PIANOS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14374, 19 May 1910, Page 6

SALE OF PIANOS.

AN AGENT'S TRANSACTIONS. CHARGES OF THEFT AND FORGERY. [BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Wednesday. At the Supreme Court to-day Edward John Falkiner was charged on 12 separate informations with the theft of pianos belonging to the London and Berlin Piano Company, Auckland, a%d on five separate informations with forgery. His Honor the Chief Justice presided. Accused, who pleaded not guilty, was defended by Mr. Dunn. Mr. Myers, Crown Prosecutor, said accused had for many years been living in; Wellington, and for some time he had been employed as a telegraphist in the Post and Telegraph Department. In addition to being a telegraphist, he was carrying on a business as a vendor of pianos. The business came into his hands through the death of his uncle, who had carried it on for a considerable time. Mr. Webbe was the managing partner of the Piano Company, and the accused was a kind of agent, that is to say, Mr. Webbe used to consign the pianos.to the accused for sale. It was the duty of accused to account for the proceeds to the consignor. In these cases the pianos were sold on the time-payment system, it was the duty of the accused to prepare and have signed an agreement between Mr. Webbe (not himself) and the purchaser. His next duty was to forward the agreement to Mr. Webbe with any money paid by way of deposit or instalment. Counsel said accused had made genuine sales, but he did other things. Counsel quoted one case which he said would prove that in this instance the purchaser got behind in her payments and the accused sent to the house to have the piano seized. It was his duty to have returned that piano to stock, but what did he do? Counsel alleged he had pawned it, and put the money in his own pocket. Another type of case alleged against the accused was this: He would * send up a forged agreement ,to Mr. Webbe for a sale to, say, Mr. Fitzherbert. As a matter of fact, the piano had been sold to a different person, and accused had, it was alleged, converted the money to his own use. Counsel said he would call evidence that the accused had made admissions to one Read that he had forged a number of agreements and falsified his books in order to account for. these agreements. , Counsel went on to explain that it was part of Mr. Webb's policy to send out notices to the purchasers of pianos named in the agreements just for the purpose of ensuring that everything was correct, stating that so much had been paid on the piano, and asking the purchaser to return the statement with endorsement. Several of these notices had been sent to purchasers who only existed in the imagination of the accused, and they had been returned marked "correct." How was this done? Accused, it would be shown, had gone to officers in the Postal Department with whom he was acquainted and persuaded them that the letters to the supposed purchasers of pianos which they could not deliver, because the addresses did not exist, should be handed over to him as the accredited agent of the company. - Hearing of evidence was then proceeded with, and had not concluded when the Court rose.