JUDGE JOHNSTON ON FORGERY AND EMBEZZLEMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 299, 9 April 1877, Page 4

JUDGE JOHNSTON ON FORGERY AND EMBEZZLEMENT.

In the course of his oh'i.'" 'f to tV> f fraud Jiivy of Christrfiurr'i. Jitter Johnston said : —'" Tho ealeri'lar. as Von writ s •&. contains a number of charges of and also, I am sorry f.o sa.y, of euibemdement by persons in positions of trust. I am sorry to see tins, and cannot sug/esfc why the crimo of forgM-y by means of cheques should l>o so rife in this part of tile district. The only reason I can assign is that, in a majority of cases, as f have before remarked, the persons taking them exhibit ft great drat of carelrssn su antt want of caution, t t'dnk.ho\v< v-.t. that in the eases which will cun" hef -re yow this does not app'-ar to hare Ivrn IV case* We are then-fore obliged t<* l»>k further to see if it is fx.ssi.bUr to discover the reason of the perp■■tratiort of these crimes,, especially when- the country is in anch a state of prosperity. Wl-ettv>r they are committed under the irdtuene *_ of drink,, or whether their fre<iuenev- arises from the east" with which tho crime can becommitted here, t cati.ro' say : and it is our duty so far as possible t>> endeavour to discover the reason of the prevalence of this description of offence, ft is of course the duty of every well-wisher of Uis country to so far as possible endeavor to find out the reason of these crimes and thus to apply measures for their eradication, ft wilt of course only be necessary for rue to call your attention to the subject to ensure your applying your minds to this matter, with a view to some steps Wing taken to pith an effectual stop to tin? commission of the particular crime to which f have referred. I would also point out that we frequently find persons in fiduciary positions in the public service charged with breaches of trust in our Courts. In one case in the present calendar we have a clerk in tho emptoyof a road board, another in a bank, and another in which extensive depredations of post letter* have been committed by a person in authority. This is very sad indeed, and here again t may say that I am unable to assign any reason for the increasing prevalence of the crime of embezzlement fey persons in positions of trust in the district. It certainly suggests some painful comments on the state of society that such should exist.