THEFT OF RESERVE FUNDS

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1930, Page 8

THEFT OF RESERVE FUNDS

A GATEKEEPER AT KAIMIRO

SHORTAGE DETECTED BY - AUDIT.

SUPREME COURT FOR SENTENCE.

Theft of £O9 19s 5d belonging to the Egmont National Park Board was admitted in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday by Ernest Wilfred laylor who was employed as collector tor the’ board at the Kaimiro reserve gate. The offence was said to have taken place between March 1, 1929, and October 13, 1930. Taylor was committed for sentence to the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on November 17, bail being allowed in self £lOO and one surety of £lOO. Detective Meiklejohn prosecuted and Mr. L. M. Moss appeared for lorGeorge Edward Alley, Government audit inspector at New Plymouth, said that on Monday, October 13, he visited Taylor and examined the accounts, cash and the stock of tickets. A cash shorta°e was apparent and he asked l.ayloi if 5 he was aware of this. He said he Next day he went to Taylor s place, accompanied by the secretary of tae North Egmont committee. A further stock of tickets and butts was checked. The secretary gave Taylor a receipt io: all cash in hand. . Taylor admitted he had receive J ■ money for tickets issued that did, not appear in the accounts. Roughly, Taylor said the shortage was £5O. A further examination revealed that, tickets unaccounted for amounted to. ia value. There was shortage in the current sales returns of £2 10s sd. Taylor said he was quite satisfied with witness’ figures. Taylor’s duties included the collection of fees from all pedestrians, cars, lorries iTnd horses enterin" the reserve. Ihe tickets used were of numbers considerably ahead of those accounted for in the sales returns. • To ( Mr. Moss: The £2 10s 5d shortage covered from September 12, ,1928, to October 13, 1930. The fees for the year ended in 1930 were over £BOO. He could not say what the total money handled over the period was. Taylor was quite fraiik and witness felt certain everything had been disclosed. To the detective witness said the shortage of £2 10s 5d was really on the last return made, after certain adjustments had been made. “If Taylor says he started stealing only on March 1, 1929, is there anything on your books to combat that.” asked the detective. . “I could not verify that,” said the auditor. Leonard Walter F. Lovell, sccretary to the North Egmont National Park Board, said Taylor was appointed gatekeeper about September .12, 1928. He was candid when interviewed regarding the shortages oil October 14. Witness understood the money had been refunded. . To Mr, Moss: The refund was not made by Taylor but ,by persons who had interested themselves in the cast,. Detective Meiklejohn said he saw Taylor at the detective office on October 15. On being shown 15 ticket books, mostly butts, Taylor candidly admitted a shortage of £67 9s. On seeing the list prepared by the auditor he said he had started committing the thefts on March 1; 1929, and that they went on till October 10, 1930. A signed statement taken by the detective was produced but not read. It.