FAILURE TO ACCOUNT

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 151, 22 March 1939, Page 7

FAILURE TO ACCOUNT

Swimming Club Secretary For Sentence COMPETITION PROCEEDS Dominion Special Service. WANGANUI. Alarch 21. A plea of guilty was entered by Walter William Gordon, carpenter, aged 27, in the Alagistrates’ Court, AVanganui, today when he was charged with failure to account for £99/9/9 which .should have been paid to the Fordell Amateur Swimming Club. Evidence which lasted for several hours was heard before Messrs. E. F. Lifiiton and P. Lewis, J.P.’s. Mr. C. N. Armstrong appeared for Gordon, and Detective J. J. Alurray prosecuted. Gordon was convicted and will be sentenced at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. Gordon, who was secretary of the I'ordell Amateur Swimming Club, received 150 books and 960 books of tickets in October, 1938, for two competitions organized for the Wanganui Swimming Centre from Charles Arnold Palmer, journalist, Wanganui. Gordon was told by Palmer to retain 15/- in the pound from the first competition and 10/- in the pound from the second competition, which amounts were to go to the Fordell Swimming Club. Both competitions closed on December 8 and the results were published on December 15. 'Toward the end of January, 1939, said Palmer, he told accused that the share of the profits to the Fordell club would be about £99. In answer to Air. Armstrong witness said that sales through accused were largely responsible for the success of the competition, at least 95 per cent, of the money being raised by him. AVilliam Alartiu Green, farmer, Fordell, president of the club, said accused became secretary in January, 1938. Till the matter arose accused was an energetic secretary, thorough in his work. When the competition was about to be launched accused told witness that the moneys would be paid to Palmer and held in trust by the AVanganui Swimming Centre. Accused’s reply to questions as to where the money was was that it was still held in trust by the swimming centre. zL warrant for accused’s arrest was issued on Alarch 4 as be had failed to find the money by that time. Detective Alurray’s evidence showed that, the deficiency was £99/9/9. He said he saw butts of books for £l5O/4/6. Gordon admitted that only £5O/14/9 bad been paid to the club.