NO BILL RETURNED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21199, 3 December 1930, Page 7

NO BILL RETURNED.

A DEFECTIVE INDICTMENT. i - UNION’S METHODS CRITICISED. (Peb United Pbess Association.) T ~ ~ NELSON, December 2. Xn his address to the Grand Jury at the Supreme Court to-day, Mr Justice Keed, referring to a charge of alleged theft against Thomas Edward Bird, said the accused was secretary of the Golden Bay Cemmt Company Industrial Union of Workers at a salary of 7p 6d a week, and was charged with the theft of various sums of money. His Honor went on to say that a general count was bad, as it was laid down in the English Act that it was necessary to show that some specific sum of money must be alleged _to have been received from some specific individual or company qn some specific date, requiring it to be paid to some specific person or company. This had not been shown. The indictment was bad and it would be the duty of the jury to return no bill. It was no fault of the person drawing up the, indictment that it was bad, as on the depositions his Honor could not see h6w the. charge could have been laid in any other way. His Honor added that the management of the union seemed to have been shockingly slack. No records- of any sort were kept. It was not shown that if there was any deficiency it was due to an act of the accused.' The union could not expect its books to be kept in a proper manner for 7s fid ,a week. He would suggest that no hill - be returned, /No bill was returned, and Bird was discharged.