POSTAL SORTER'S THEFTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23375, 17 June 1939, Page 16

POSTAL SORTER'S THEFTS

FACILITIES FOR BETTING REFERENCE BY COUNSEL [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Friday "When Sydney Bolton Ford, aged 22, a civil servant, pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft of postal packets and one of theft, of various sums of money totalling £42, making the full amount involved £SB, his counsel said it appeared that not only was gambling in the atmosphere where accused worked, but also that facilities existed in the Post Office for the placing of bets. Counsel said he did not know what the Court might think of it, but it was an appalling thing to his mind that a young man of 20 years or so should be surrounded by temptation in that way. As the Court knew from experience of many of these cases, gambling led on inevitably to a man getting deeper and deeper into debt, and that was the story of accused's downfall.

Accused, a sorter, said counsel, was caught as the result of a "trap letter" and immediately told the authorities there was a cash shortage of £42. Accused had taken the necessary steps to make over /his superannuation in part restitution. "I am not going to address to accused a homily on gambling," said the magistrate, Mr. j\Y. F. Stilwell, S.M., "but his present position should have taught him the futility of attempting to make any profit out of that activity." ' «

On tho major chnrge accused was convicted and placed on probation for 18 months, on condition that he should make restitution of the money outstanding. REFORMATIVE DETENTION TOURIST BUREAU CLERK [by telegraph—press association] WELLINGTON, Friday A clerk, John Fitzgerald, who admitted the theft, of £219 while employed in the Government Tourist Bureau, was sentenced to-day by the Chief Justice. Sir Michael Myers. His Honor said he was not prepared to lay down any rule regarding theft by' Government servants, but he was not prepared to consider probation in this case. Ho said ho would impose a light period of reformative detention, and gave a period of 12 months.