THEFT OF LODGE MONEYS

Evening Star, Issue 21744, 12 June 1934, Page 4

THEFT OF LODGE MONEYS

SECRETARY'S DEFALCATES At the Police Court yesterday afternoon Cyril Biockioy Robertson via-, faced with three charges of. theft of lodge moneys over a period of about eight years, and pleading guilty was committed to the Supreme Court for Sentence. Mr ,). P. Ward appeared tor the. accused, and Chief-detective Young prosecuted. The charges preferred against the accused were: That on July ,22, 1929, and on divers dates between then and December 31, 1932, he received the sum of £56 7s 7cl on terms requiring him to account for the money tb the Court Pride of Alexandra Foresters’ Lodge, and in failing to do so committed theft; that on April 21, .1925, at Alexandra, and on dates between then and September 25, 1933, he did steal further sums totalling £64 3s 6d, the property of Court Pride of Alexandra; that oh September 30, 1925, lie did receive front George Campbell the sum of £1 0s 6d, and on September 25, 1933, ho did receive from other persons the sum of £BB Is 7d, the property of Court Pride of Alexandra. John K. Macfie, district secretary of the Ancient .Order of Foresters, said that the accused was formerly secretary of the Court Pride of Alexandra Lodge, which was a branch of the Otago district lodge, A.O.F. .The Housed was appointed secretary in 1924, when the total funds of the branch amounted to £1,014 Os Id, of which £421, was invested in freehold security in Alexandra. The accused retained the secretaryship until September, 1933, when lie absconded, and witness, at the request of the court, comihenced nn investigation of the books and found irregularities and misappropriations. It was the accused’s duty to furnish half-yearly balances to the district office, and in addition a yearly balancesheet, duo in January of each year, the balance-sheets being forwarded to witness, who kept them for six or seven years. The accused’s first yearly bal-ance-sheet was received in 1927, when it was disclosed that the court had £491 invested in freehold securities at (ji- per pent., £4OO ill 5 per cent. Government debentures, and £llO 13s lOd in the current account at Alexandra. The receipts Were shown at £3l 9s 3d, but the receipt book showed a total of £3B, of which £l6 had been received from a man named Faisandier as interest on a mortgage. This particular mortgage, however, had been discharged in 1924,. so that the entry showing the payment of interest was false. The balance-sheet for 1928 showed that £591 had been invested in, mortgages and £3OO in Government debentures, an increase of £IOO in the mortgage investments and a decrease of £IOO in the debentures as compared with the previous year. The sum of £35 7s 4d was also shown as interest received, but the receipt book showed the sum of £34 7s 4d, of which £3 0s 6d had allegedly been paid by Faisandier. The amount invested in Government debentures was paid by the Treasury to the accused on July 4, 1929, blit the balance-sheet for that year showed that that amount was still* invested. , The balance-sheet for 1930 showed that the court had £O9l invested in freehold securities and £3OO in Government debentures, and also showed the money received as interest on these investments. The bal-ance-sheets for 1931 and 1932 also sbpwed that £591 was invested in freehold,securities and £3OO in. Government ■ delwntiires.(‘(.The -last balance-sheet submitted by the accused was for the halfyear ended June 30, 1933; and contained entries identical with those in the balance-sheets for 1931 and 1932. Witness said he was only in possession of the books and balance-sheets of the Ibdgc from 1927, and sb could not estimate the position before that year. His investigations showed that between April 24, 1925, and September 25, .933, the accused stole £043 Os, the property of the lodge, which had been in-. Vested in freehold securities and' Government debentures.’ In addition the accused received the sum of £BB Is 7d from various members and failed to account for the amounts; From the absence of the books it was impossible for him to state what the total defalcations were, but be found that £731 7s Td was missing. The balance-sheets bore a certificate from two auditors and a trustee of the lodge. To Mr Ward, witness said that in friendly societies tile secretary was supjiosed to pay over to the treasurer Within twenty-four hours any money which lie Flight receive, but it would lie difficult frir the latter to detect any rernissiiess. If the auditors had carried but their work properly the defalcations would have been discovered in the first year. The loss would unfortunately have to be borne by the members of Court Pride of Alexandra, as the money came from the lodge’s surplus and had nothing to do with the district office. Re-examined by the chief detective, witness said that the surplus belonged to the older members of the court, who would now be deprived of the benefits which they Would otherwise have had on reaching a certain ago. He had been informed by the auditors that they had been given to understand that the securities were in. : witness's, own office. The benefits which the old members would receive would be a reduction of their present eontibutions. Detective-sergeant Doyle said that on May 19 last he and Constable Manuix, of Pembroke, arrested the accused at Mahafora, where he had been living in the Blue district, with a companion, on deer meat and flour. Witness explained the position to the accused, who said be would be perfectly straight with witness and would assist him to clear up the matter. He realised that he had been very foolish in not giving himself up in the first place. : Since the accused had been arrested lie had given witness every assistance in estimating the total amount of his defalcations. He made a statement admitting the defalcations mentioned in the inf nation. He had assumed the name of David Allen in the Makarora district.

The accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.