Mystery Surrounds Man's Death

Chronicle (Levin), 12 August 1948, Page 3

Mystery Surrounds Man's Death

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VV ili Lj U } .auguot -LV. The suieide theor.y was rejeeted by the Coionei, Mr. : W. Q. 'Meljish, when an inquest info the death of StanJey Alexander V'ine, aged 39, was eonciuded at Petone today. V'ine, who was secretai'y of the Weli iiugton Citizens' Cooperative Society, ! was fonnd dead on the bank of 'the ' Eutt Iiiver on June 29. The Coroner round that death was due fo drowning ,ai}d that there was no evidence , to j ahow how Vine came to be in the water. The circumstances surrounding the death of Vine have been thc subjeet ot .! a good deai of r.uniour. Mr. Mcllish said a shor.tage of £332 in the funds of • the society had been . .ound by the auditors. This had been based on an assuwed rate Of pr.oht. There was a shortage of possibly . £I5w m a period of about three weeks betqre • Vine 's death, when no banhang was done. Bowev'er, the president or the society had stated m evidence that Vine was a popuiar man and if through lack in business of tiii* | kind, he had got into di Ihe ulties, the i matter could have been put riglil. A shortage of £lob would not justify au assuniptioii of suicide, Mr. Merlisli said, aird if there had been no taik o. a shortage, there would have been uoue of suicide. The shortage of £332 found by the* auditors, coiild have been explained it the goods had been sold at a lovyer price than they should lxave been, the president of the Wellington Oitiezns.' Cooperative Society, William Arthur Pox, said in evidence. Banking had oeen done regularly titi about three weeks before Vine 's death. There was £40 in ihe shop trll when the shop was opened after Vine's death. "Vine was to have attended a meeting of the Society '» direetors on June 28.