BANKING IRREGULARITIES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3266, 20 December 1881, Page 4

BANKING IRREGULARITIES.

Scarcely has the excitement caused in tho public mind by the recent robberies in connection with the Bank of Victoria subsided, than Melbourne is again startled by the announcement that irregularities of a Tery serious character have taken place in connection with another bank. After the discovery of Thorpe's misappropriation of ihe funds of the Bank of Victoria, the other banking institutions in Melbourne, taking warning by the event, had a careful scrutiny made into tho state of their own accounts. The cash was examined and every item in the books was closely scrutinised to ascertain if it was correct.. Some of the banks found tnfling discrepancies, which were soon accounted for, but in one case, that of the Union Bank, we ai'e informed the discovery was made of serious deficiencies. The directors of the bank, with the auditors, went thoroughly through the books, and also through tho cash. The latter, we believe, was found to bo correct, but we ■understand that, in the books of one of tho responsible officials, errors of a startling description were found, amounting to between £5000 and £6000. Tho official implicated was called upon for an explanation, and eventually was obliged to admit that errors to the amount named did exist. He offered to undertake to make good any deficiency, and eventually arrangements were made by which the major portion of the money was repaid, and for the balance security was entered into. No report of the occurrence was communicated to tho detectives.