BANKS BUMPS BADLY

NZ Truth, Issue 1034, 19 September 1925, Page 9

BANKS BUMPS BADLY

PECULATIONS OF A THIRSTY CLERK

Mervyn Banks, who hails from 0: soul, and on his own admis, tion to look upon the wine

So chronic, m fact, was this thirst of his, that draining pots of booze put a severe strain upon his purse, with the result that, his exchequer depleted, and still thirsty, he got his fingers mixed up with other people's cash. Mervyn, between drinks, earned his daily bread by pushing a pen as a clerk, and was sufficiently accomplished to gain the confidence of the Agricultural College heads at Lincoln, who employed him for one or two days a week. The college m its bounty allowed him £140 per year for his services, and Mervyn, of course, was grateful. Mervyn Crashes. He also managed to put m some time on other jobs, but he could not

mterbury, is (or was) a thirsty don could not resist the temptawhen it was red.

maintain a big thirst on his income. Hence, like a ton of bricks, he crashed. Mervyn must have cut quite a lot of ice at the college, for was he not given charge of the payments? Alas, he was, and there came the rub. Fate thought it was time for a show-down, and staged some awkward inquiries concerning Mervyn's handling of the cash. Things, which he would sooner have seen buried for ever, were dug up. There was the little matter of allowances to students which had not been paid. A "Please Explain" was shot m to the peculating clerk, and there was no answer— at least none which i satisfied the college heads. The Government Auditor looked into things, and Mervyn, seeing the cat was out of the bag-, did all he could to help m the unravelling of his misdeeds. Money Spent on Boose. The police of course came on the scene, and wanted to know what it was all about. The young man made a statement explaining to the. law that most of the money had been spent on booze. This was the story told to the S.M. at Christchurch last week. Banks pleaded guilty to .several charges of theft, involving m all £428 2s 4d, and extending over a lengthy period of some 13 months. Mervyn was told he would get his medicine from the Supreme CourlJudge. It was duly administered on Monday, and took the form of twelve months' reformatory treatment. Mr. Justice Reed also' gave some words of advice to the powers thnt be regarding the necessity for stricter supervision of books m Government and similar services.