CASE AGAINST W. E. COOK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2146, 1 July 1920, Page 3

CASE AGAINST W. E. COOK.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE.

Waller Edward Cook, a member of the ordnance staff at the Feu liters! on Military Camp, was charged before Mr E. Rage, S.M., at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court yesterday, with the tlicit of sums totalling £177 1.3 s (id, the property of Ihe New Zealand Government, between Lilli October and Dlli February, and with having made false entiles in certain documents regarding the sale of military blankets.

Chief-Dolectivc Ward conducted the prosecution, and .Ur -I. Scott appeared for the accused, who [.'leaded guilty. Lieutenant L. A. Clemeii'ts. ordnance officer at I'Vlilherston, said that in September last there were a number of military blankets in the camp for sale. The accused was foreman in charge of the stores and of the sale of the blankets, and should have supplied all particulars regarding their sales daily in a “blanket cash sale register.” Accused was also supplied with other cash docket books to show entries in triplicate. One copy would he handed to the purchaser, another to witness, while the third would remain in the hook as a record. Recently witness had examined the store cash sale hooks, and had discovered that there was a deficiency of £.177 13s (id between the sum- of mniiey handed In prisoner by the salesman and the sum.- handed by prisoner to witness. 1 hat sum represented the value of 2D(i blankets, which were found short. An examination of the cash dockets showed that 02 had been altered, and the deficiency wav again shown by those dockets. The alterations were, in witness’s opinion, in accused’s handwriting.

William Henderson, attached to the Ordnance Corps, said that: he had made the original sales entries in the docket hooks, and had handed the books and the ('ash to the accused each evening. In addition to those records, however, he kept a private cash sales record, quite aparl from departmental instructions, and each entry therein was initialled, at witness’ request, by the accused. Detective Carney also gave evidence. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court tor sentence.