Theft By An Agent

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, May 19.

H[IGH Court proceedings on April 27, against Charles Cowan, of Ngatangiia, occasioned considerable local interest.

The accused, who was found guilty of forgery and theft, is a prominent half cast, a member of the Island Council, and was recently appointed to a full-time inspectorship under the new Fruit Con trol Regulations.

The charges related to his activities as a “supercargo” or licensed fruit-buyer for the firm of W. H. Grove and Son. He purchased on their behalf, last October, 58 cases of tomatoes for £36/5/- from a native grower, and his own account with the firm had subsequently been credited with this amount, out of which

payments were made to the grower, totalling, by the end of December, £l4/18/-. The balance of £2l/7/- had never been paid, although, on enquiries being made by the police, the accused produced a receipt for the full amount of £36. The prosecution proved that this document was in part a forgery.

Evidence showed that the accused’s account as a “supercargo” was not kept distinct from his personal account, with the result that when the latter was in debt, amounts credited to him for the purpose of paying growers served prim arily to balance the account as a whole.

At this stage, Judge Ayson made it clear that onus of making payment to growers rested with the firm involved, the “supercargo” being simply an em ployee, whose principal the grower was well aware of.

Found guilty, the accused was fined £lO and ordered to repay the £2l.