INSURANCE THEFTS.

Wairarapa Age, 23 December 1932, Page 5

INSURANCE THEFTS.

ADMISSIONS BY COMPANY EMPLOYEES. SUMS TOTALLING OVER £ll,OOO STOLEN. CHRISTCHURCH, December 22. Two employees of the Alliance Insurance Company, Limited, were charged to-day with the theft of nearly £11,500, the property of the company. They were Clarence Alfred Palmer, aged 30 years, and Walter Vernon Wiseman, aged 33 years. The police stated that the men had been in the employ of the company for fifteen years; Palmer was the cashier and Wiseman was the chief clerk. It was alleged that the thefts began in 1924 in a systematic fashion, as much as £2554 being taken in one year alone. The police said that the system the men worked on was that when monthly returns were made Palmer deducted the amount of the defalcations from the total and entered the resulting figure. They kept a careful check, on their thefts. In 1924 they began with £3 19s and rose to £2554 in £1931 and £1907 in 1932, till at October 31 last the total sum involved, as shown by the audit, was £11,431. The accused admitted stealing the money. Herbert Thomas Francis, manager of the Christchurch branch of the firm, gave evidence that for some time past the premium income had fallen away until October last. He had had no idea of the reason at that time, and he gave notice to clients whose premiums were shown as overdue. Usually these notices went from Wiseman, but in October some went out without passing through his hands and one of the clients wrote in, and inquiries were then made and the accused admitted the thefts. The money was spent in paying instalments on houses, buying motor cars and furniture and in living expenses. The accused pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was allowed.—(P.A.)