ALLEGED FORGERY AND THEFT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3140, 19 July 1917, Page 7

ALLEGED FORGERY AND THEFT

• ' « CHARGES' against a civil SERVANT.. Before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., in the Magistrate's Coua-t yesterday, .Btorbert Eaton Kadcliffo was charged as follows ;— On or about Septenibor 26, 1016, he did commit theft of JJISO, the property of the Now Zealand Government. On or about March 30, 1916, he did commit theft of XSS Is. 10d., the property of tho New Zealand Government. On or about Maroh 31, 1917, he did alter a voucher in favour of Thomas Gilmour for J!9 17s. to jGIO 175., and utter the same to tho Paymaster-Goneral with intent that it should be acted upon as genuine. On or about the saino date ho did alter a voucher in favour of John- C. Brown for £1 lis. to .£9 lis., and utter tho sanio to tho Paymaster-Goneral with intont that it should be aoted upon as gonuino. Chiof-Dotective Boddam prosecuted, and Mr. T. M. Wilford appeaxed for accused. The charges of altering' tho vouchers were taken first, as the evidence of Thomas'Gilmour. and John C. Brown, in whose favour the vouchers N wore mado out, had already been taken. Percy H.' Morga.n, Under-Secretary of the Mines Department, stated that; accused had been chief clerk in tho Mines Department since Apri 1 1, 1906. He acted as receiver of moneys and alsn made payments. Ho also gavo receipts and deposited moneys in the Government deposit account'. The handwriting on the two vouchers produced was tho accused s. William Wilson, olerk in charge of tho Pay and "Revenue Branch of tho Treasury Department, stated that the two vouchers'produced were received u.l the Treasury Department on Maroh 81, 191", from accused and under his signature. Henry Alexander Lamb, Government Audit inspector, in his evidence stated that ae a result of examining the accounts of tho Mines Department prepared by tho accused he wrote to accused pointing out that alterations had beon made on the vouchers, and aeklnfr for an explanation. / ' Deleotive with Detective Andrews, arrested accused at his house, also gavo evidence. In respect to-the thoft charges, Percy H. Morgan, Under-Secretary of the Mines Department, identified the signature of the accused on the cloven documents produced. . .George William Barllrop. accountant; m the Government Life Insurance Department, deposed that: in September. 1916, two cheques for ,£l2O 14s. lOd. and J»si Is. Bd. respectively were paid into the Mines Department in connection with the accident branch. John Alfred Cox, clerk in the Bank of New Zealand, slated that the two cheques mentioned by the previous witness wero lodged in the bank by Itadcliffe, as receiver of the Mines Department. Thrco cheques—Nos. 95,188, 95,189, and 95,190were cashed in September, 1916, and wore signed by Badoliffe, but witness could not sav who cashed them. William Wilson, of the Treasury Department, stated- that three roturns for tho periods August 31, November 30, and October 81. 1916, showed that accused neither received nor paid out moneys during those periods.. Henry Alexander Lamb,. of the Audit Department, deposed that as a result of an audit of the accused's deposit account it was .discovered that the two amounts received from the Government Life Insurance Department were lodged to the credit of the publio account, and wero not entered in, the cash book. The returns for the periods' slowed that accushad neither received nor paid auy moneys. The deficiencies approximaUily were £197 16s. lOd. After hearing the evidence of Detective E-awle, the accused, who pleaded not guilty, was committed to the Suipremo Court for trial. Bail was allowed as previously. . .