MAGISTERIAL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2313, 16 August 1880, Page 3

MAGISTERIAL.

TIMARU—THIS DAY. (Before R. Bcetham, Esq., R.M.) ALLEGED BREACH OE THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE ORDINANCE. William Leslie was charged as above. The case was remanded till Monday. EMBEZZLEMENT, John Blair was charged, on remand, with embezzling £5 15s Id, the monies of the Government; also with embezzling £3 3s Id on July 5, and £1 3s 4d on July 10. Mr White appeared to prosecute, and Mr C. Perry for the accused. Mr White in opening his case asked leave to alter the lirst amount of £5 15s Id to £3 Os lid. He then proceeded to state the short facts, which were that the accused had been employed as delivery clerk in the goods department of the Timaru Railway Station at a salary of Os a day, and had been in the emplojnnent of the department for about two years. His duties were to receive the way bills from .the guards, and to enter the same in the office books, and also receive all monies for goods arriving, which monies after entering in a petty cash book, he should have handed over every night to Mr Read, the bookkeeper. On Juno 20 accused received a mouth’s notice to leave the service. Shortly afterwards he proceeded to Waimato to sec Mr Hannay, assistant traffic manager, to whom he applied to be kept on. This request was refused. Accused returned to Timaru, and almost the same day he commenced to embezzle the monies of the department. His delicicnces amounted altogether to £IOO. Joseph Jones, district station-master, Timaru, proved the position held by the accused, John Mason Sharp, chief clerk at Timaru, said that in compliance _ with instructions ho made an examination of the accounts kept by the accused,whoso

duties he explained. Witness produced tlie petty cash bonk and three waybills fill' £3 : til. £3 3s id and £1 3s 4 cl, neither of which were entered. Two of the wa3 7 bills were copies, the originals being missing. At least twenty other waybills had not been filed, and the general deficiency amounted to about £IOO for June and July. H. A. Reid, book-keeper, gave corroborative evidence.

Mr Jones, in reply to the Bunch, said accused was appointed by Mr Owen, of Christchurch.

Accused reserved bis defence, and was committed for tiial at the Supreme Court, bail being allowed, himself in £l5O, and two sureties of £l5O each. The Court then adjourned.