COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1932, Page 13

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE

GOODS AND MONEY STOLEN TRAVELLER ADMITS TWO THEFTS. ARTICLES SOLD TO DEALERS. Admitting two charges of theft, Horace John Anderson was yesterday committed for sentence to the Wellington Supremo Court. Bail was allowed in a personal surety of £2OO, plus one other of £2OO, or two of £lOO each. The offences upon which evidence was adduced, before Mr. R. W. Tate, S.M-, at New Plymouth were: (1) Theft of goods belonging to Halliwells Ltd, worth £6O 8s sd, on or about January 11, 1932; (2) that on December 8 he received £lO from James August Dunlop on terms requiring him to account or it to Archibald Duncan Huggard and that by fraudulently omitting to do so he committed theft.

John Stratford Jaffray, sales manager for Halliwells Ltd, New Plymouth, up till March 24, said that about the end. of September he saw Anderson regarding the sale by him of general lines ot stock. Anderson told him he was a radio salesman and suggested that ar places where he did not sell a ratio set he might be aMe» to sell the lines on commission for Halliwells Ltd. witness and Halliwell saw Anderson regarding the arrangement. The money taken on the sales was to be sent to the firm, which would pay the seller the commission due. The commission agreed on was 3s in the £. . On October 17 Anderson called and uplifted the first, lot of goods, worth about £2O. After that every few days he would -return, pay in some n°ney, and take out more goods. The last lot of goods was taken by him on November 26. The goods unaccounted for totalled £6O 8s fid in value. The goods were a marked, at the price at which they should, have been sold. Anderson had no right to sell any goods to a secondhand shop at less than their marked value, unless he accounted to Halliwells Ltd. for the. full value, less commission. The package produced, which was recovered in Wellington, contained part of the goods unaccounted for. The goods sold to Sternberg were vaW at £9 5s fid, while the value of. those sold to Delaney, Wellington, was £6 Ils lid. In December Anderson told him he had not continued to sell the stock because he was held up Joy an accident to his car. From January to -March he did not hear from Anderson. In January the matter was placed in the hands of the police. r

WELLINGTON TRANSACTIONS.

Leslie Sternberg/ licensed second-hand dealer, Wellington, said Anderson came to him on January 11 and offered some drapery for sale- He said he had bought it at various stpres to sell and, not having mad© a success of the business, desired to dispose of the balance. Witness picked out. goods to suit his business and made an offer of £2 6s. This was accepted. Anderson said they were ms property. <He gave his address as Tukapo Street, Westown, and said he was staying at the feailway Hotel, Wellin«ton. He produced his motor-car license and his receipt for part payment for the car. , Some, of the goods were sold before the police took possession of the remainWilliam Delaney, second-hand dealer, Wellington, said Anderson called on January I'l, saying he had been sent by Sternberg to Droit, another second-hand dealer, but he had come to Delaney s shop (by mistake. At the request of witness Anderson showed him the goods with a view.to purchase. Anderson said he had obtained the goods from a warehouse and had been' selling them In Taranaki and Wairarapa. As he had not done well in the latter district he had decided to sell the balance in Wellington. Delaney purchased the remainder of the goods in Andierson s possession and paid him £1 10s. Anderson gave his Westown address and the Raalway Hotel, Wellington. Anderson had with him in addition an old suitcase, tied with rope. The locks were broken and Anderson said Delaney could have it as it was of no use to him. Sometime later witness was about to destroy the case when, under some old newspapers, he found a duchess runner and six serviettes. These were Still at his shop. J SALK OF GRAMOPHONE. A. D. Huggard, tramway motorman, IJfew Plymouth, said he had known. •Anderson for about six months. Anderson had sold a radio set and accounted for the money, less commission; he was ’ then employed by J. B. Mac Ewan and Co. Anderson inspected a gramophone Huggard had for sale. At the beginning ing° of December Anderson said he thought he had a buyer for the gramophone. Huggard said he wanted £lO for the machine and that Anderson could keep anything above that amount. The next day Anderson said he thought he had made the sale, but was calling the next day to see if the transaction was to go through. The day afterwards Anderson said a factory manager Jat Waitara wanted the gramophone and that he would collect the money at Waitara on the following Friday and pay it over that night. Huggard had not see Anderson since until that day. J. A. Dunlop, first assistant at the Waipapa dairy factory, Motonui, said Anderson called several times at the ! factory with drapery from Halliwells Ltd. Anderson asked him to buy a i radio set. Dunlop had said he would prefer a gramophone, whereupon Anderson said he could procure one. Next day he brought one out and Dunlop purchased it for £l4 10s cash. 'Constable Butler said a complaint was received from Halliwells Ltd. on January 11 and on January 21 a warrant for Anderson’s arrest was issued. He was arrested at Ashburton on March 30. On April 1 Anderson in a statement admitted selling the gramophone to a second-assistant at a factory near Waitara for £l4 10s. He had had no intention of not paying Huggard, but had got behind in payments and he gradually spent the money. Since makin" the statement Anderson said the amount should be £l4 and not £l4 10s. On April 1 Anderson said he would not make a statement about Halliwells’ croods at that time, as there were several things about the case he wanted to look into. On April 6 Anderson said that the goods not recovered had been sold at various houses and that the balance had been sold to Wellington second-hand dealers. He said he lived at Ashburton under the name of John Davis.