WINE, WOMEN AND FIRE

NZ Truth, Issue 1062, 1 April 1926, Page 7

WINE, WOMEN AND FIRE

Insurance Clerks Entertain Their Flapper Friends WHEN THE A BOSS WAS AWAY! (From "Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) While the manager of an insurance company was ill things m the office commenced to go awry.

HNE of the clerks ultimatel; appeared at the Aucklanc Magistrate's Court am pleaded guilty to theft. The police hinted that wine and women and a fire m the strong room of the office to destroy evidence of defalcations also figured m the story. The Auckland manager of the Liver-

y pool and London and Globe Insurance 1 was lately absent from business owing d to illness and matters m the office commenced to move rapidly. " ~ The movement, however, was not m the best interests of the company m the realm of business stability. According to Chief Detective Cummings, who is generally well aware of what he is speaking • , about, the office motor-car was called upon to do more than it was I intended for. After it had been put into commission by some members of the staff, who made regular peregrinations o' nights with petticoat escort, the whole party would adjourn to the office. A Merry Party Thereafter things were right merry, what with women and wine m the seclusion of the insurance office and right gay parties they were. . . Matters came to a head when a fire m the strong room of the office was reported to the police. Detective Barling was detailed to the job and he found unmistakable little things which indicated to him that the fire had been deliberately caused. Although charged with the theft of £4(5/8/7, it could not be proved that James Robert Nieper had also set fire to the books and documents which had been destroyed. ■ The conduct of two other employees was not satisfactory. . It had been found that a number of letters bearing premiums had been sent to the office, but no acknowledgements had been received. ..When Nieper knew that -the charges were going through he returned the money. f It had been found that £35 was drawn m stamp duty which was con- , sidered to be m excess of the requirements, but this could not be traced owing to the documents being missing. Mr. Allan Moody said that the accused, a young man of 26, had not been m trouble before. He said he had been trying to get to the bottom of the affair, but found that the system of business employed by the company was so remarkable that he had not been able to find an explanation. Counsel said that accused considered that the company owed him something like £lA, 6r£l6 m bonuses. -He stressed the fact that there was nothing to indicate that his client had teen the cause of 'the fire m the strong room. Mr. Cummings said that the acecused had misinformed counsel m regard to the bonus. That there were two other men apparently "m the know" who had already . been dismissed, and that Nieper would have to bear the burden possibly of the wrong doings of othex's, was emphasized by Mr. Moody, who stated that the accused was well-known m Auckland and had lost his job. He suggested that a term of probation might be the best thing m the interests of the prisoner! . S.M. Hunt remanded Nieper for seni' tence. ■■ . ■ . ■ ' '■■■'■ '•■