New Zealand News.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 January 1918, Page 6

New Zealand News.

A YOUTHFUL OFFENDER.

•A youth just under sixteen years of age came before Mr F. V. Frazer, S. M. at the Auckland Juvenile Court on Thursday on charges of having stolen sums of money amounting to about £IOO, from his employer. He bad been employed in a city office as a clerk, and noticing that a cheque book in which signed cheques, not filled in, were kept was ihft out, he extracted a couple of the signed cheques. One of these he filled in for £75, and cashed. He treated his friends to cigarettes and a dinner at a firstclass hotel, obtained an oufit for him seif, and was about to start on a train journey South when Detective Cummings arrested him.' He then had £3l ‘left of the cash After his arrest It was found that’he had taken other money from letters of the firm. Police inquiries established that the jouth came from an excellent home and bore a good character, but had recently got in with a set of fast youths, and had been trying to keep up with them. He was formally committed to TTeraroa Training Farm, but allowed probation pending good behaviour under strict conditions.

REGISTRATION OF ALIENS

WELLINGTON, Jan 24,

The Minister of Internal Affairs stated to-day that the registration of aliens under the Act passed last session has been going on satisfactorily, and the registration offieers"nad their work well in hand. Although the returns were still coming in, up to and including January 21st, 4985 aliens •had been registered. The following were the numbers and the countries cf origin -of the aliens registered: ’Austrians 1017, Germans 481, Greece 79, Italy 182, France 65, Norway 229, Portugal 3, Russia 368, Spain 29, Sweden 300, Belgium 104, Switzerland 31. Other Europeans 38, China 1297, Japan 6, Syria 104, Egypt 2. Other Africans 3, Argentine 7, Brazil 2, Chili 1, United States 286.

WEL.LI.im NT ON SCANDAL.

J. iijd UiiTE A; S. BISS.

RUMOURS OF STARTLING DE-

VELOPMENTS

Rumour has been current in tire

city during the past few weeks (says the Wellington Times) as to the financial troubles left behind him by the late Mr A. S. Biss. It is now generally known that the defalcations in his accounts amount to anything from £20,000 to £25,000. The deficit is made up principally of misapplied trust monies.

A private meeting of deceased s creditors was held last week, and it is believed a further meeting is to be held, but it is unlikely that the matter will come before the Bankruptcy Court ;i g-'lli

It is believed that the greatest sufferer is a local lady, a relative of deceased by marriage. She suffers to the extent of about £12,000 or £13,000. The remainder of the money is made up mostly of trust monies of various companies. Several local professional men suffer heavily as a result of the defalcations. On the morning of the day Mr. Biss died proceedings were to be instituted for an investigation of accounts In connection with the estate.