POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 906, 18 July 1907, Page 22

POST OFFICE FRAUDS.

Some impudent ; frauds havet been tpefr on. the Pos: and; Telegraph Department in Rielbourne. Various sums of money, amounting, according to the authorities, to £6O or £BO, have been obtained from the Telegraph Money Or der Office by means of false advices. The operation 'of "transmuting money- by - tele-, graph is a simple one. On receipt of telegraph advice from another office, any, money order office will pay over the surrt specified to the person who presents <‘l duplicate .of ■,the.;telegrajffi beeA foupd,;that"in a number of ’ instances recentlypresented were? not qbserva-t tions^hich-Mr '.Scott;, secretary Jof -thd department/, could be induced to make was ; that “the sys em of telegraph money orders has always been regarded as dan--gex:ous.-” The discovery was made about terf/days ago, arid inquiry was at once set omVifoot. - The. Acting-Prime Minister staffs that it ; was found that advices to pay;-had been manufactured inside the office, i The forms on which the telegrams are‘issued are not supplied to the general public- in blank, but they can be obtained by ? anyone; work' ng in the office. A point yet to be determined is whether the date stamps on the telegrams presented to the money order office were forged. A duplicate stamp could have been furnished by an accomplice from within.

DISHONOURED CHEQUES. At thfe I Police Court last week, before Messrs Reid and McKay, J.P.’s, Robert Gibbs, alias’' Gibbons, < formerly a hotelkeeper at Neavesv'lle, was charged with obtaining and £$ from Alexander, Johnston., ■ Timothy. B. O’Connor, and Michael Walsh respectively at Auckland by' indans 6f valueless cheques. Mr ". Singer prosecuted, and Mr J. R. Reed defended! The charges were heard together. ,AteXand«r ; Johnson, licensee of the Empire .Hotel,, said, on March 21 accused arrived in Auckland- qfrom Neavesville and stayed at witness’ hotel. Next day he told witness that he wanted to purchased an. aerating machine, and as he said he did not; like tendering a cheque in payment he asked witness to cash a cheque for which witness did. became suspicious about the cheque, as the prisoner was wearing new clothes and he had also been seen in a shipping office. Robert T> Bush, accountant, Bank of New Zealand, Thames, said that Gibbs had an "account in th bank from January to March of this year. There was a guarantee with the.'bank from Mr E. B. Dufaur in favour . of/ Gibbs .from Janu aryj tp/’March/ when ft was withdrawn. Accused/was given notice of the withdrawal-. On March 23 Gibbs had 16s 2d to ihjis' Credit-in .the bank. Several che qu/s 'were presented to .the bank during March',/but were returned. Michhel licensee . of the City •Cldb-Tlbtei/‘ said on March 23 Gibbs asked him to cash a cheque for hut he <then Refused, but subsequently cashed a cheque for The cheque was afterWhrds dishonoured. To Mr Reed: ' G bbs did not ask witness ?to.:hold the cheque for any length of time. , Timothy O’Connor, licensee of the Thames'- Hotel, also said he cashed a cheque for £8 for the accused, but it had since been d shonoured. Detective Miller gave evidence of the arrest of Gibbs at Honolulu. When formerly charged accused pleaded not guilty, reserved his defence, and was committed for trial. Bail was allowed in two sureties of each. Accused was also ordered to, report himself to the pol ce twice a week. HOTEL BURNED DOWN. It was reported from Christchurch last Monday that the Royal Hotel at Southbridge was burned down on Sunday afternoon. Only a few persons were in the house at the time, but the boarders lost all their effects, and the fire gained so rapidly that no furniture to speak of was saved. The licensee (Mr Riordan) lost one hundred pounds in cash. The fire originated in a bedroom, but how is unknown. The hotel was the property of Messrs Manning and Company, brewers, of Christchurch, as well as the furniture, and both are insured in the Liverpool and London for The fire brigade was able to save the Southbridge hotel adjoining. /MARK TWAIN’S SUBSTITUTE. Mark Twain tells an amusing story about' an appointment to lecture which he was unable to keep. A temperance lecturer,.was invited at the last moment to fill his place. The audience did not know Mark'Twhin by sight, and cheered so ijp|u4^ t /whien hts substitute appeared that .they did not catch the explanation.. .

• -As: T they "expected "'To~Tse amuSecT' they the unfortunate lecturer’s rej 'mqrks’.’'*wl^^pght,er PA dir.ectly he. to •. sajd,/ “is the'' curses erf - this 'th'£ aud-l ienefe;/ th&'i;. the unhappy- rnpn. ■ his / ../and. v lqoJ<e(J hiniself over , th . the ?ca.itse of:; their; ffi;irthi/'/“-RUm , slays/ more/ tfiAp disease,” hie went on, and .he laughter jgiiew ; Icu/er.' “W*9;'rriust crush: the i'ser‘pe'nt.” The audence by this time were ; rocking to and fro, and at last the hdigridnf- substitute “rushed out of i the hall/ shaking his fists az the crowd.