CITY COUNCIL FUNDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20902, 18 June 1931, Page 14

CITY COUNCIL FUNDS.

ALLEGATION OF THEFT.

OFFICIAL SENT FOR TRIAL.

WELLINGTON PROSECUTION,

[BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. "Wednesday,

A middle-aged man, Arthur Wallace Richardson, .formerly cashier in the city rates ofiice„.was committed by Mr. Page, S.M., in tho Wellington Folice Court to-day to tho Supremo Court for trial 011 a charge of theft, as a servant of tho Wellington City Council, of £96 Is 2d, the property of the Wellington City Council. It was alleged that tho sum named was received over tho counter on April 23 and had not been lodged to tho credit of llio district fund in tho baitk. Accused was allowed bail on a bond of £JOO with a surety for a similar amount. It was alleged that accused had used tho current day's takings to make up tho previous day's banking total. Each day's takings were totalled at 3.30 p.m., all after that going to the next day's total.

When tho fact that tho money was missing was discovered accused denied all knowledge of it. At first it was believed that the money had been removed from tho safe by some person who had obtained means of access to it. Accused said it was possible to open the safe with a penknife. Tho safo was kept in a strongroom which had a burglar alarm. The alarm rang on tho evening of Anzac Day and once about Easter. The authorities never found out who it was that caused it to start.