THE CHARGE AGAINST MR MILLAR.

Evening Star, Issue 4064, 6 March 1876, Page 2

THE CHARGE AGAINST MR MILLAR.

' 1 * x It will be seen by oar telegrams that after a two-days’ itquiry before the • eeident Magistrate at Nelson, Mr John Millar, late Provincial Engine r o? that Provinc , has b>eu comtmtt-d or tnal on the charge prefe-red against him by the P. ovmt ial authorities iJChe * facts of the case were thus detail at' the preliminary investigation Mr Millar ent> red the service of the '‘rovlncial Government in April, 1875, andinJune he received authority to oider instruments to the value of T.o n j n September he produced a voucher signed by himself, as engineer, for pm chased ! rom Crawshaw, of Dunedin. Upon this, Mr Bout, the Provincial Treasurer, drew a cheque for 149 15s, the amount named. with which he purchased a draft, which was forwarded to Mr Crawshaw, who lent back a receipt for the amount. In January last the Government requested Mr Millar to tender his resignation, which he dt dined to do, and thereupon the Superintendent removed him, and in t e letter or removal requested- him to surrender all Government property he had in Lis charge. None wSs surrendered except a few things of insignificant value, and, afterwards, oa the papers being looked over it was found that there was no invoice of the goods purchased from Orawshaw, and then for the fist time doubts arose whether they, or the other instruments defendant had been au'horsed to purchase had. ever been obtained. A farther sum' of LIS6 14s had been paid, as it was believed at the time; for i"strume<ts ordered by the defendant from Elliott Brothers of London. It had been ascertained that no such goods oa those mentioned in the invoice had oeen obtained from Crawshaw, bit that the money had been received by himanU credit*!, at Mr Millar’s request, io his own private account. .After Mr Mil’er left the service there was considerable correspondence regarding the Government property in his post esion, and up to as late as the Bth of Fehiusy be denied having anv. When the staie of affai sv as discovered by the Government, they reputed the case t a toe Provincial Auditor, who proceeded to Dun-. ediug to make inquiries, aadthwe examined

Orawtbaw. That was on the 17i hof February, and in the meantime, on the 14tb, Mr MiUar, in a somewnat imgular way, went to Mr Gully after office hours and requested him to take delivery of certain instruments on behalf of the Government. Mr Ou ly, not knowing any of the circumstances, took charge of and gave a receipt for them; abd on the face of this receipt some of the instrument were represent d as having been obtained from El wtt Eros, and others from Crawsbaw. This was reported by Mr' Gully next day, and the rec. ipt of the goods was at once repudiated by the Government*