“HAS DEFRAUDED TWO EMPLOYERS.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18642, 20 December 1928, Page 1

“HAS DEFRAUDED TWO EMPLOYERS.”

S.M. TAKES CARE THAT NEXT ONE WILL KNOW.

The Magistrate (Mr E. D. Mosley) at Court to-dav had some hard things to say of Harold Francis Reed (Mr Livingstone), who came before him for sentence on a charge of stealing sums of money amounting to £5 10s 8d from his late employers, Messrs Kincaid, Ltd.

Reed, whose age is nineteen, came before the Court a few days ago, and the case was held over for a report from Mr W. H. Darby, Probation Officer. The name on that occasion was suppressed. “ I am sorry to say that the Probation Officer's report is entirely unfavourable,” said the Magistrate. “ The only thing that weighs with the Court is the poor position of the mother and family. If I sent him to the Borstal, which is what I should do, they would become a charge upon the State. “ I am going to admit the accused to probation for two years, though in so doing I am acting contrary to the advice of the Probation Officer. “ Reed, there is nothing to be said for you,” Mr Mosley continued. “ You deliberately set out on a course of crime. You defrauded two employers. You are matriculated, and had every advantage. I am not going to suppress your name. When next you are employed, your employer will know that you defrauded two other employ-

Government were not going to delay starting these works. Sir Joseph said he remembered that similar expressions to those which had been urged by some opponents of the South Island main trunk, had been made against some of the principal lines that had been constructed in the country. The North Island main trunk railway was a case in point. He was head of the Ward Government when this line, in its later years, was prosecuted vigorously.

“There were croakers, no doubt with the best of intentions, then, as is the case now. who predicted failure from the point of view of the railway paying its way. Statements of the kind were circulated for years, and so, also, with the Canterbury-West Coast railway. The pouring out of opposition to it, on the grounds that it would be a great white elephant, was endless. The Government did not hesitate to push these lines on as fast as possible to completion.”

Now, anyone making similar statements regarding any of the five lines, including the South Island- trunk rail way, all of which the Government were determined to push on with in order to complete them as early as possible, would not deter them from carrying out their policy, and he predicted that in the whole of these cases similar results on the completion of the different lines referred to would be achieved.

Regarding the Gisborne-Napier railway, some questions had been raised as to the route. Naturally, those who were raising the questions were entitled to consideration. There was a difference of £600,000 between the two routes, and the official representations were quite clear that the shorter route, which would save £600,000, would meet the whole requirements that the Gis-borne-Napier railway was started with the object of providing. Before defideciding this matter, however, a full report would be obtained. “There is one thing, however, quite certain,” concluded the Prime Minister. “That is if the results required can be obtained by a saving of £600,000 the Government will most unhesitatingly' adopt that course.”