THE WORKING MEN'S CLUB.

NZ Truth, Issue 340, 30 December 1911, Page 7

THE WORKING MEN'S CLUB.

MANAGER GiREEN IN A MESS.

MrJdle or Misappropriation.?

Accused Rp^erves Defence and is Committed for Trial.

Fred.crick William Green, "37" years'; of age, lately secretary to the Wellington . Wprkirig Men's Club and Literary" Institute, was- charged •: ; before Mr. W. G-. Rddd-ell, 5.M., • at the Wellington Magistrate's Court, last with having embezzled the sum'^dt , £ 17G 9s 3d, the property of the' Club,", between July 1 and November 2t). Chief Detective Broberg conducted the prosecution, an-d Mr A. .L. Herdman appearetl for the accused. De.tectiverSergeant Mcllveney?: said . that on December 4 he arrested the accused on warrant charging hijm with the theft of £201, tho property of the WeDiirng-tton, Working Men's Club ; he replied, "There must be a nii'stiako somewhere,) I did "not steal ; any of their money ; I was there for three-and-a-half years and. . LEFT WITHOUT A SHIL.X<TNiS-."' v FJdwarcl' -Mace," president; ' .of % _ "the ; Working^ Men's- Club Literary Instf-"' .tute,....said. 'that .the club .was a.registered 1 one and was chartered under the Licensing .Act. He had-.coiiT trol over all ttie salaried oflicprs of the. club, of which thei-e were three trustees 7 who h b l'd offi ce . during: the pleasure of the ..club, the -funds, and. property . .of the club meantime ■'■ be- _..' ing vested m them. Accused', hail" been manager arid secretary first, " •and- then became secretary- -and li—brarian- Accused was a salaried officer, arid .'his duties were to receive r all moneyVrahd- bank- them .«Aii -r. National Bank withm 43 hbufs,*' 'ix\-^ thoiigh the- rule aibouti. banking; was not strictly enforced. The "' mofTeys" " banked, were placed to tho credit ot | the trustees. Accusetl had to keep the-, I books and accounts. He had a cash. I book, m which entries had to 8e" :

[made every morning. Witness". „ pj?6-_-. 'duced the books which accused kepi" m accordance with, his .clutiqs.! .. .aV_j manager and secretary to theY civj-b 1 -"' On the evening of November. 2o .ac--■cused left the service of the. ... v Gfub,,. (having been, asked to resign,- and. witness was appointed to act mMs place pro tern. Witness tried to.bal-. ance the cash book with the : bank". book and found a bank deposit "entry m th<e former of «815i;..63,.4p-li-ed November 2, arid the bank .b;oo1c: woukl nob "balance by & : J.TO.- ;. v The. entry m .the cash book .sttould have been £51 6s . Wi tness als o disiioy eYed that when they wmild not. iaal-.: ance erasures hati been mademthe pass., book and m the bank deposit, book. A further entry m the ca.s)V book, dated September 30 0 - showed t>hat £1-48 16s hud "been banked , ■."where-!" as the pass book showed ; orily £46. 6s. The: ' bank deposit book -also: ' showed £46 6s, there '■ agaiiV ; - beirt>£>; j erasures m both the pass 'book arid i the bank "deposit book. Tb ri?-seeßi- eled to " have been THREE ERASURES AND •AIJtTEB.r - , ATipNs .., .::"::;£? in' the .pass book; viz., "the- " ■actual entry, the total carried f qrWarS ancl* the anibimt- brought' f brwara. In •each- case the alteration' .was; py : £100. On November 20, accused lod-g-ed -m tlie bank £77 6s'\lti. ■ Later on the same date, witoes's' questioned him about an itean. v '-bf " £25, silver kept m taip safe.' for change. He accounted for £24 .1 0s "?(i . by producing neceipts, arid handed witness the balance of 9s ,l"6d m cash. Witness than asked- him if -He. had any other moneys belonging to ' the club, and accused handed,, o.vosr 4S 6d. and receipts for other moneys paid away. Under instructions- from the comriaittee, an inf,6rriiation ; ...was laid against accused, charging -.-Mm with stealing the.' sum of v-£;20l ; or thereabouts. Since then, ■ receipts amounting to £25 Os 3d were discovered for sums' which accused -liad paid 'awiay, but there wereno book entries. The receipts '■' did-, . . not bear the club'a stamp as having: bepn authorised for payment./The'sov:-ac-counts should have been paixi rby cheque signed by the treasurer/,: one trustee and two cdmmittenien. Witness handed these receiptsfto -tihe club's auditors, Messrs Boltdn" «ikl Morris. Witness knew ••; -*accti ßed's handwriting, and he identified his I handwriting as having made the" en- . tries m tlra books, up to "November 119. The deposit slips (produced)

were also m the -handwriting of accused.. To Mr ITerdnian...:: The books weiie v audited once every six months. , Thf&y i-cCeipts "to whicli witness had referred as having been found by hini; undoubtedly referred to accounts ac-i; . tualTy owing by tlie club-. It was " "MERELY AN IRREGULARITY , to . have ; paid. them out of cash in-" stead of by cheque. ■ ■ '-' .;■ . Dst^dd Alexander Smith,, treasurer; of tbo clujb anid literary- institute! since February last, said that it" was "part of his duties to' check, the daily, talcings of . the- club and to cneck the "' cash 'in v th'e hands of tho, . inonagcp-.. - This should be done afccast once a fortnight. He" also ha.d. tp.; cheeky the entries m the various: 'books. C&irice June lust, -except 'avray fpr... three days, ho had check- ( ' fed" the'-^t^irigs of tho oi-ub and.cona- '' paired them with the cash register either, daily, .or. every .secpnd_ day.' He found tho entries made by "the.accused Jairly accurate. .'He did not regularly: 3 '"'.check the' ■' Ca^ji 1 'in-i the manager's hands because' frequently .when, v .he= went to dp . so the 1 "manager/ 'was, not,' ..there. .i¥e'."..'<lid,' ; o hpweyer, .piieclc. .the' .cash bOqk" with "the" fijinlc jjoplc 'wKen^'cr. . they. " were available , ' aiid, : 'as " fai* as' lie 'could ■•" see; they . ..ware- -correct. Hel dirl. ngt. .ij-itice. any orasuve^. On several occasions ho Jiacl 1 a difficulty m getting, the pa,ss . fro^ the*: accused, Janty lie had.; ' tdniplained ' to "the coiTliniti:ee:' : 'Generally, his, excuse was that^it was at ' the barile " ah<i that "they" had not made it up.. , On one occasion he had .. 'beeri. \ ! uii able to get the. 1 : | pass- book or five or six \reeks, although he "had- : -aslfetr".for -it -repeatedly ; this

was .some, time isY.>s?ep_tem?:ier.. .. •Ac:cusefi wi'us not sivpposecl to have more- than £s: ■petty/, cash, but that twas .a rjfje which' ■\yas;''not st-rictly atliiere ;' to. . • . -. ..", .... ■ ■ . T ,- ' -T0. .-.Mr ITerdman,:' '■■' /The • cash register was ..the one •m ' Use ' m t-he 'bar . ■ Herbert Bqlton,'. registered . accountant," said that on ; February S he .and,; J. -,. V."' jVtbi'ri's were appointed auaiitors t.6 .'. tit.a Wgilmgit.on .Wbiricirig .lien's.. Clup;. foi ; , the . year "eridingDe^ Gerialj'er' 31,./l9i ; i.-,- They .s'ttbs&qUontiy cxaari'iried ,the" club's ''books. During ".July.. '-the money rqceived . by the accus<ki : . from one,, source or"; an eitherwas- £533 19s 2d, m" . addition to £71, 14s . cash' m hkn-d ' • and' '/carried 1 forwai-d..!,; on <Iuly; f, '£G26. I3s 11<1 was lodged I ' m tlie. {tyanti that month; laavirig.- '."... ." '. ' ::i "" : A DIFFERENCE 1 OF £281. l?s-3d -to be ■' accotirited for.-:' ln- August, £Si 2* iSsll'd v^asitre-ceived, and £9?S 18s lOtl was ' banked. •-: He had.therefore.^ franked £8d is-'ild. riiore tJian lie li'acl : i'feeeived . " "OPhis wbul'ci- he- o-c---cotvnted for by- thfe- -balance carried forward. -On' 31' the amount 1 unacc'oti'ritecf "for '^ivas- £195' IGS-- . 4d. In-- -Se^letober, : o rdfifeivell 1 £860 los* Scl/'aiid- ba-riked £79G'gs 6d, . leaving i£ei" Gs-Ma- s-hbrfc' ;: ,banKed.. The total defici-ency ■ on" September 30' was £'260 -3s 3dJ- In- -October .. he i : eceived £812 14s 7d, and banked- £-536 3s 6d, thus overbanlting'by£^s 'Is lOd, reducing the shbrt-ag'c on" October 31 to £236 14s 4cL In "N'ovoniber, to the date of ! his resigniatiori, he received £46114&5 d, and' banked £496 19s Sd,,, pjv.eri3.alancirig' ;'^by • £35 4s ; iod, . .ieayarig 'a deOciency on: Navember ; 2o';pf £201 9q -od. ;Th^ tdtal receiveel /by ' "accii^ecl : since ... 'July; r \ was ' £3888 ; fes ; 7,;d, 'including,.',, a balance of £71 iL'iY casb^. : m Ih'ein^ ;.tjroUg-ht. forward : -fr«(m ". Ju^e- .30. T ,TM ...tQial. lodgments m,, the -.rbanij. .amotmfetr . to" £3666 .•19s, leaying ' tne^deiiqiency ,of £201 9s vedafreaJdy, mentioned. That deficienGy was reduced by some payments^ TOJhich.. appear :to .liave been ■ Hade • m - cash totalling ,£25, 0s 3d, reducing the deficiency to. '£170 9s . Bd-ti-- the ■ amount -tlie. accused was. no v^ charged rwith stealing. .Witnessgave;^evidence • as. to the erasures arid alterations In the books already mentioned. .".-.-• . . r/fcv/ :Morras,.v .the other-, auditor, formally corroborated the last .witness's evidence.The accused rescrivoa his defence and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial, bail being allowed, self m £100 and- two sureties of £50 each. ' j