DISHONEST OFFICIALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18707, 13 May 1924, Page 12

DISHONEST OFFICIALS.

WAIUKU POST OFFICE THEFT TWO CHARGES ADMITTED, i! NOT GUILTY ON OTHER COUNTS.: ' Two - judges of the Supreme Court' ! were engaged simultaneously yesterday in trying cases in which ex-officials of the postal department]' were charged with offences relating to the handling of ; moneys. ' „ • V-v--: Before Mr. Justice Stringer, Harold George Allen, aged 25, and formerly a clerk in the Waiuku Post Office, was arraigned ;on an indictment alleging 19 separate charges of the.it of moneys that were in his possession as an officer of the Government, ranging in date from June 22, 1923, to February 2, 1924, and in 'amount from £1 5s to £12, and totalling ' £112 ; also of having destroyed post' office receipts for £212 a and £7 15s, two of the . amounts... alleged to . have been; ■ stolen. t \/.' . ~ ; I Accused pleaded "not guilty of the I majority .of the charges." Mr. R. • McYeagh, who appeared on his behalf. , said his client admitted the theft of £2 ? 10s on October 19 • last, and £7 15s on ) November 22, and the destruction of one . of - the documents relating to these • itemn : ; and the concealment of the other, j Accused had charge of the money, order ! and post office savings bank counter at aiuku, and iihe allegation, of-the Crown was that he had received moneys from the various depositors " and entered the amounts in their ; pass books, but had not remitted .the money to head office, while 1 no deposit slips were discoverable in me department's records, ,£v. » . Detective Lambert produced, statements by accused acknowledging his . retention, of £2 10s and. £7 . 15c, ■ which he had 3 received from certain depositors and also small , shortages 'in his j'' cash "which he could not account ' for.' With regard to the £7 15s, accused said he kept the deposit slip in an envelope, and on a later date he paid in -.both amounts to the • credit of the depositors; concerned. ' | Accused gave evidence that the cash tills in the office were riot kept locked, ; and there were eight' persons > heaides himself who could have had i access to them. On various occasions he had reported to the postmaster that cash was . missingabout a dozen instances in 12 months—and witness 'had had to make good the amounts. Apart from the £2 10s and £7 15s, he h»d not taken any of the other moneys, mentioned in the indictment;' or - destroyed documents connected with them. - ' ' After about half an- hour's deliberation the jury found the prisoner not guilty as to the charges other than those which he had ■ admitted.'., For sentence upon these, His Honor remanded him to May 16, allowing bail in one surety of £100. FORGED BANK RECEIPT. VERDICT OFlf GUILTY RETURNED. ' The trial of " Alexander ; Linton, clerk in the Post Office Savings Bank at Auckland, which had . begun on- Friday, was concluded : before ' Mr. ' Justice S Herdman. The allegation of ' the Crown was . that ; Edward Knowles, of Tuakau, with--1 drew £10 from the savings - bank on January ■4, v a{nd ' was attended at the counter by accused; that he • left his passbook at „the office for the addition of the j accrued interest, and that when he received the book back he found that his account had' been debited with a . withdrawal of £190 and he was shown. a withdrawal receipt > for that amount, which he repudiated. For the defence Walter Edward Utting, taxi driver, swore that on the night of December 31 accused .met him ; at/ the Waverley Hotel, and paid an - account! I due and that he had • then a large roll of notes in his possession". t „ Other evidence ?;went'! ,to ,- show that accused won a large sum of money at the trotting races on December -29. : Thomas Harle;'Giles; ! on ' the strengtjh of 40 years' study handwriting, ' gave j it as his opinion that ' the signature on j the forged document and those ,on other papers produced as v genuine signatures of accused, had nothing in common. - : The f jury, after jg? nearly . three- ; hours' jre iirement, found the prisoner guilty. 1 j His Honor deferred sentence till : 'Thurs- ' day t morning. - ..' : : , ; ;'