TWO £l00 NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1930, Page 2

TWO £loo NOTES

PAID OUT IN MISTAKE. AUCKLAND, September 25. A stranger to Auckland, Dr. A. » * Ross, who recently arrived from. Australia, gave away £2OO in banknotes on Monday in a mistake for £2. The next morning a taxidriver and a shopkeeper, on discovering their mistake, went to the house where Dr Ross is staying at St. Helier’s and returned the notes. Dr Ross, who is on a health trip, came into the city to make some expensive purchases. He (had several £IOO Australian banknotes wrapped up in a handkerchief, together with some New Zealand £1 notes. He made several small purchases. and then took a taxi home. “What was my surprise the next morning to receive a visit from a taxidriver and a storekeeper, both returning me the £IOO notes which I had not missed,” said Dr Ross, “New Zealander* must be the most honest people in the world, for I would never have traced unaided two people to whom I gave wrong notes.” The taxidriver, Laurie Meads, related how lie discovered his fare’s mistake. “When I got to St Helier’s,” he said, “it was quite dark. My passenger pull, ed out a roll of notes wrapped in a handkerchief and said ‘let me have a look at this under the light. I don’t want to he giving you £lO instead of £l.’ I assumed that he made pretty certain it was £1 and gave him change accordingly. Later the same evening I filled up my petrol tank at a service station and when I came to pay the attendant I. found the Australian note in my bag. ‘Great Scot,’ I said, ‘l’ve been done again, I’ll have to pay 6d exchange on that,’ and then I found the note was for £IOO. I had arranged to go to the wrestling that night and so had no time to go back to St Helier’s, but I had a pretty nervous evening thinking someone was pinching in from me in the crowd. The next morning I called on the doctor and asked him if he had given me the right fare. He said: ‘Certainly. Didn’t you see me look at the money under the light?’ I said, ‘Well, have you lost anything?’ he said: ‘N , I don’t think so: the only thing I could given you would have been £IOO instead of £l. ‘Well’. I replied, ‘that’s just what you did do,’ and I handed him tlie note.”