£28,670 INVOLVED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7432, 9 May 1911, Page 1

£28,670 INVOLVED

BOWRON PROSECUTIONS LEATHER MERCHANTS CHARGED WITH FRAUD. SHIPMENTS FROM NEW ZEALAND. TEOH OUr. SPECIAL COEEESI'OXDENT. LONDON, March 31. Arrested on a charge of fraud, involving the sum of £28,670, John Allan Bowron. and Sidney Bowron, trading as Alessrs Bowron Bros., New Zealand leather merchants, of Kirby street, Bermondsey, appeared at Tower Bridge Police Court on Tuesday. Thomas Loonan Knight, a wharf foreman, was jointly charged with the brothers Bowron, and tho three were remanded on hail of £2OOO for each of tho Bowrons, and £SOO for Knight. The charge against the accused is that between Alarch and November, 1910, they conspired to defraud the Right Hon. Charles Booth and others, trading as Alessrs Booth and Co., skin merchants, of the sum of .£28,670. Air Travers Humphreys, instructed /by the Hon. F. T.‘ Alacnaghten, appeared for the prosecution; Mr T. Howard Heighten for the two Bowrons, and Mr Arnold for Knight. THE ARRESTS. Chief Detective-Inspector Collins said that on Monday he arrested John Allan Bowron in the offices of Alessrs Pounder and Co., chartered accountants. Sir Bow ron asked who had caused the warrant to be issued, and the witness replied, “The Right Hon. Charles Booth. You are charged in the warrant, jointly with others, with conspiracy and fraud aud obtaining £28,670 by. false pretences. A man named Knight is now -under anest, and we want your brother. Where:is he?" Air Bowron replied, “I have an appointment to meet him hero this morning. I expected to find him hero. He is sure to come." The witness- asked if ho should read the. warrant to him then, but the man yeplied, “ I have been more sinned against than 1 have sinned. An hour later Sidney Boivron arrived. The magistrate: Did they express no surprise or astonishment at the charge? ' AVitness: No. They said nothing with the' exception that they had been attending at the office where they were arrested for the purpose of giving all the information they conld'to the trustee in bankruptcy. Detective-Sergeant Mcßride*, of New Scotland Yard, said that ..ho arrested Knight on.-Monday night.atTlcathmere, Elin Gro.4, Hornchurch. Knight said, “ This is all right; I have been employed by Messrs Bowron for over twenty years. I got the 'sack’ last week and have not yet had my last week’s wages. I am only their paid’ servant."., THE INFORMATIONS.

' At' the request of the solicitors for the defence the clerk read tho ■ informations upon which tho warrant was granted. The first, on behalf of Messrs Booth and, Co., stated that for many ’ years Messrs Booth and Co. -had been acquainted in business with Messrs Bowron' Bros., New Zealand merchants of Kirby street, Snowfields, Bermondsey. This firm consisted of John Allan Bowroa (aged sixty-eight) and Sidney Bowron (aged forty-nine). .Bowron Bros, imported skins from-New Zealand, and Booth and Co. were in the habit of advancing money to Bowron Bros, at their request to enable them to take up the. shipping documents’on skins in course of transit from New Zealand, to Phoenix Wharf, Narrow street, Ratoliffc. According io the course of business, where the goods -wore always landed, accompanying the, request-would he a consignment note giving details of the casks of skins upon which the advance was asked. Booth and Co. would then make the advance hy cheque, and BowronBros, -would - hand them- a ■ delivery note upon Phoenix Wharf for the goods, and upon their arrival' this delivery note would be exchanged for a wharf -warrant signed by the -manager of Phoenix Wharf. These warrants were always signed by T. L. Knight, and were guarantees from him and tho proprietors of Phoenix Wharf that the goods mentioned in them were at the wharf and were held there to -the order of Booth and Co, On March loth last. Booth and Co. held warrants from-Phoenix Wharf for 799 casks, .upon which they had advanced to Bowron Bros, between March 7th and October 12th, 1910, .£28,670, none of ■which had been repaid. On that date, owing to certain information, a clerk named Claude F. Little, employed by Booth and Co., was instructed to go to Phoenix Wharf and chock the goods there belonging to Booth and Co. On March SISt, 1911, John Allan Bowron and Sidney Bowron presented their notation, in bankruptcy. They -therein described themselves as trading as Bowron Bros, and as the Phoenix AVharf Company. Messrs Booth and Co. always believed Phoenix Wharf to be a separate and independent business from that of Bowron Bros., and had they known that thfe wharf was tho property of Bowron Bros., they would not have advanced any -money to them, as their security for such-advances consisted entirely of the wharf warrants, which they had believed to bo signed by an independent concern. -Some of-the 799 casks had been traced, and it was found that somo of them were sold to leather factors and others were taken to Crayford, where Bowron Bros, had a tan yard. Tho London manager who signed the information on behalf of Messrs Booth and Co., also said in the informationl am informed that Bowron Bros, estimate that, after realising all their assets, there will -be a deficiency of over ■£200,000.” ■ "TO PACE THE MUSIC.” In the second information, Claude Frederick Little, a clerk employed by Messrs Booth and Co., said that on going to the wharf -to check the goods with the warrants he saw the whaif manager, T. L. Knight, -and told him his business. Knight said, " I must refer you to Bowrons-” He remarked. “ Bowrons have nothing to do with ns," and he produced the vyarrants. After some slight hesitation, Knight said, "I cannot show yon the goods.” He asked, “Why?" and Knight replied, "Because Bowrons have had them.” “ Have - they had the lot?” he questioned, and Knight said, " Yes." In applying for bail, Mr Deighton said his clients had known for a fortnight that criminal proceedings were threatened, and they said they would certainlj “ face the music.” The accused were then remanded. LIABILITIES NEARLY .£250,000. In "The Times" financial and commercial section to£ March 20th, it was stated; “ Financial trouble of a serious character has come to light in the leather

trade in connection with the failure of Messrs Bowrcn Bros., fellmongero. of B-jmondsey and Crayford. The liabilities amount to nearly .£250,000; four of the firms are interested for sums totalling over 49120,000. The value of thoassets is not at present known. An unpleasant feature of the case is that graveirregularities appear to have occurred in the form of improper dealing with warrants.”-