ALLEGED THEFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8338, 22 January 1907, Page 6

ALLEGED THEFT OF PUBLIC FUNDS.

— ■ —♦ ~ THE CASE AGAINST PURVIS. CHARGES OF AIDING AND ABETTING. In the Wellington Magistrate's Court, yesterday morning, before Dr McArthur, S.M., Sidney George Jngram was charged on a number of informations with having aided and abetted Alexander Watt Purvis to steal, various sums of money, the of the Wellington Benevolent Trustees. Purvis had also been arrested on a charge of stealing various sums of money, the property of* the trustees, and also with obtaining "various sums of money by false pretences. Accused, who reserved his defence, pleaded not guilty, and was committed for trial. Bail was - -fixed at a personal bond of £IOO, arid two sureties of £IOO each or one of £2OO. ' j The hearing of the charges against A. W. Purvis of theft of the trustees' funds wasthen proceeded with. ,Mr Skerrett appeared for the accused. David Robertson, ex-chairman of the trustees, produced a number of accounts which, he said, Purvis had presented for payment, and which had been s passed. Purvis had no authority to chai-ge against' the trustees items in his private accounts. To Mr Skerrett: Purvis had been secretary for more than seven years. Apart from these charges he had found him efficient and assiduous, and the trustees had every satisfaction in him. When Purvis entered their service the institution was £I,OOO in debt. Within a s>>ort time that debt was discharged, and at present it had about £I,OOO to credit. A great deal of that was due to Mr and Mrs Purvis for the economies they had introduced and the; way in* which the home had been run. Purvis had given £l5O v as restitution in respect of these charges, which totalled £136 12s 2d. '■' ' To Mr Bell: That money was in the custody of Mr Izard. Mr Skerrett: There is no condition about it; the money is to be repaid. Witness went on to say that no authority had been given for "vouchers prior to 1905 to be destroyed, and they were all surprised when it was found that they had been destroyed. Purvis explained, that they were sent round from Mr Powles' office, and that he had no place to keep them, and as they were no further use he sent them to the destructor. He had no reason to doubt the truth of, that explanation. When Mr Purvis joined the institution the trustees were receiving, £7,500 a year from the Charitable Aid Board to carry oh the work. "*" That was now reduced to £3,500 despite the increase in population. Arthur R. Clarke, accountant, said lie had examined the*books at Te Aro House and R. Hannah and Co. In regard to Hannah's account, £B, 30th June, 1905, he" found that Purvis's private account was credited with £8 on. that date. There was nothing in the trustees' account to correspond with that sum; The same thing applied to the. account of £8 19s 6d of 4th January, 1906. As to the Te Aro House accounts, there was an account of June 30th, .1905, of £4l I 10s Bd, there was nothing in the books corresponding with the items I on that .account. The £4l 10s 8d ' represented an amount placed to credit in Purvis' private account. Ther was an item of £33 12s, of January sth, 1906; another of £22 12s, April 2nd, ,1906; and £2l 18s, July 26th, 1906, which were in the same position. On being formally charged, accused said: "I have nothing to say," and added that he pleaded guilty. Pie was then committed to the Supreme Court for sentence,; bail being allowed in a personal bond of £2OO and two sureties of £2OO each.—Post.