The Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1906. THE BLANK CHEQUE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9315, 15 August 1908, Page 4

The Star. SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1906. THE BLANK CHEQUE.

The protest made by Dr M'Arthur from! -Umi Bench in Wellington against the <iraea stupidity of tradespeople in giving Hank cheques from their cheque books i» any Irresponsible, porson who may, demand them is not by any means a now, one. The habit is as old as tho profession of banking and is apparently ineradicable- It is almost impossible to conceive how a shrewd man of business, can be guilty of such a piece of stupidity. The practice is one fraught with .danger to both himself and his fel-lo-w^a^esmen, anQ it is a direct incentive io tbe enterprising criminal to exp\pi¥ih» pockets of his fellowmen. As Dr it'ArthOT pointed out, it is roally surprising that with tho facilities so reofly to bis hand the smart thief does not BM&e greater use of them. While the Magistrate was commenting upon the , cases in Wellington exactly the same sart of carelessness was the subject of ft case before the local Magistrate Court. In this instance a casual thief, . >y "going the names of two Sio-t^lk^epera to cheques secured in the •cuatomary haphazard manner, succeeded ik victimising two other hotelkeep- •"_"•*«, who' ■ complacently cached the che_ti«l without any inquiry whatever. That thfl gentleman did not get away with the prooeeVJa of his crime was due rather to tihe vigilance of the police

tha_t rr to any laok of ingenuity on his

town, part. But the police should not be made-* a recovering agenoy for the bone-

fit. of the thoughtless tradesman or x, poblioan, andi there is a great deal to , lm aaid for &z* M' Arthur's suggestion *h*t the person who giv^S away or sells a hjanfc cheque -ahould be mado parti__ly or wholly responsible for any future miaviso to which the cheque may be ,p*ty.\-I. a man felt that he was liable 1 iqa* "t^be replacing of an unascertained «BKftji.t, ihe would hare a very reason<abi« -asotise for -declining to allow even -^a regular customer the use of his cheque hook. As ib is, to judge from t_Mi report of tlie Wellington case, a complete __a*ahger has no difficulty in procuring » cheque in some establishrawfttta, even, without the necessity of 1 snaking a preliminary purchase. But . an -.Imoflt worse feature of the practice wasu&fwrJosed by the Cltfef Inspectbr of Poiice when ho stated that the banks ito Wf*?ilingten were in the habit of selling blank chequers to anybody who in- j qqired for them, even whether they ran accounts at the hank or not. There is Abs^tutely no justification for this prac- ■ *«»,, and if the hanks themselves do - root oare to dweontinue it, it should be r- loi|?t«Utiye^r repressed. So far as *_r^<ntpeople are ooncerned J _'-he adoption of Dr M' Arthur's proposal would probably settle the difficulty very qaick-,-j\ If tbey. are not wise enough to proteot. <3iemselves, the State inust^simply urtep in and protect them.