FORGERY CHARGE

Southland Times, Issue 22991, 10 September 1936, Page 7

FORGERY CHARGE

, ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL In the Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Mr W. H. Freeman, S.M., William George Liddell, of Invercargill, was charged with forging a name to a railway pay sheet. Detective-Sergeant Thompson conducted the case for the police, while Mr J. C. Prain appeared for the accused. Detective-Sergeant Thompson said that on June 26 George White, a casual labourer at Bluff, being unable to collect some money owing to him by the Railway Department, had authorized a friend, Alan Burgess, to collect it lor him as he would not be at Bluff that day. When Burgess went to collect the money he found that it had been paid out and signed for. The accused denied collecting the money or signing for it. George White, a labourer, of Invercargill, said that on June 19 he had been working for the Railway Department on the steamer Waipiata. He had earned that day £1 14/6. He had arranged with the Railway Department to have his money made payable at Invercargill. He had gone down to the station at Invercargill on June 26 to collect his pay, but he was told that he should have to collect it at Bluff. He had not gone to Bluff that day; he had obtained a pay-order from the Railway Department and given it to Burgess so that he might collect his money at Bluff. He had not yet received his money. He was shown the casual labour sheet and denied that the signature on it was his. He had authorized only Burgess to sign his name, and no one else. Asked to Collect Pay. Alan L. Burgess, a lorry driver, of Invercargill, said that on the afternoon of June 26 last he had been in the Invercargill goods shed collecting his pay. While there he had seen White, who had asked him to collect his pay as he was not going to Bluff that day. Witness had caught the train to Bluff, but when he called at the Railway Department he was informed that White’s pay had been collected. Thomas William Johns, a stationmaster at St. Leonards, gave evidence that on June 26 last he had been railway clerk at Bluff, and in the course of his duties had paid out to men on casual labour on the wharf. He explained the method of paying out. He knew most of the men to whom he paid out money. He remembered a person coming in and asking for White’s wages. He had looked down the sheet, found the name, and made a tick where he had to sign. The man signed and the money was handed over. The time would be about 4 o’clock. He could remember Burgess coming in for White’s pay. He had never seen accused prior to June 26. The matter had then been reported to the police. Questioned by Mr Prain, witness said that on a Friday he usually paid out to about 70 men. On this particular day he had paid more men than usual. The office opened at 3 p.m. and closed at 5 p.m. The men knew that the pay office was open at this time every Friday. That day he had paid about 120 men. He knew most of them, but he did not know White. To his knowledge White had never been paid by him before. Accused had been the only one present at the time. Identification Parade. Detective J. Hill gave evidence as to an identification parade. The witness Johns had had no opportunity of seeing accused before the parade. He had picked him out as the man to whom he had paid out the money at Bluff. Detective T. Smith said that by a process of elimination he had narrowed down the field of suspects. He had ultimately discovered that accused was one of the three Invercargill men at Bluff on the afternoon of June 26. On July 24 he had interviewed accused, who had made a statement (produced). Witness gave further evidence as to tests with the accused’s handwriting. He also produced a photograph of it. Accused, who pleaded not guilty, was committed for trial to the Supreme Court. Bail was allowed.