WOMEN WITNESSES IN BANK CLERK'S TRIAL

Chronicle (Levin), 31 October 1947, Page 5

WOMEN WITNESSES IN BANK CLERK'S TRIAL

WELLINGTON, Oct. 30. Tlie authorship of eertain flgures on a Reserve Bank cliange-of-address form, was a subject raised in t^ie Bupreme Oourt when the trial of Peter Edward Millctt, a clerk, aged 24, on three charges of forgerv, three of uttering and oue of theft of £10,000 worth of Government stoek certiflcates, was continued before Mr. Justice Cornish. Dulcie Eva Reeve, bank clerk, for more than two hours was questioned by Dr. O. S. Mazengarb K.C., eounsel for accused, about the authoriship of the flgures. Witness maintained they were the work of accused. Bhe declared several times that she was not a hahdwriting expert. Dr. Mazengarb dealt in detail with the formation of the flgures aild compared them with others known to have been the work of accused. Witness said she was not aware that Wildred Raymond Eggersj chief aecountant of the Reserve Bank, had said he was unable to say who made the flgures. Constance Mary . Williams, "on the audit staff of the bank, said in evidence that the flgures under discussion were the work of Millet. Witness was asked to study the flgures earefully: She said that when a detective showed them to her he asked, "Are those the flgures of anyone whose work you cheek?" AVitness had said they were Millet 's. In. reply to a question from his Honour, she said that the "field" of possibility would be about a dozen. Asked if she had received definite instructions from the bank about the notilication of any abnormai event after the certiflcates were known to be missing, witness said she believed a eertain course of action was expected of her. No direct command had been given. "A woman never gets a command," observed his Honour. "A man may be under the impression that he has been givcu ; rder. The woman will consider i. . ;i deferential request has been inui.f." William Frederick Williams, formerly a clerk in the transfer section of the Reserve Bank, could not recall whether the iuitials "W.F.W." on the memor andum of transfer, had been put on by liim. They did not look like his initials. Everyone who worked in the transfer section would know that he initialled sucli docuinents. To his Honour Williams said he did not remember seeing the memorandum of transfer before but he would not have particularly noticed it if hb had seen it as £10,000 was not an uhusual snmr Isobel Joan Knowler, a clerk, said she had no speeific reeollection of handling the memorandum of transfer but some of the flgures and initials on it were hers. Bhe accepted it as a genuine transfer and would have dealt ivith it in the ordinary way. Leonore Marjorie Mulford, another clerk, said she had heard betting and raeing discussed in the Reserve Bank and had seen doubles charts there. Bhe had never heard Millet take an interest in racing and had never discussed raeing with him. Tlic Cohrt adjourned till tomorrow.