FORGED APPLICATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 69, 23 March 1931, Page 3

FORGED APPLICATION.

MONEY FOR UNEMPLOYED. DEPARTMENT PAID OUT. UNKNOWN MAN'S PROMPTING. Prompted by an unknown man to an application for employment and thereby get money, Wilburn James Finch, a motor driver, aged 23, collected 14/ from the Labour Department for work he had not done. This morning Finch appeared before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M. in the Police Court on two charges of forcing the name of J. Keay to an application to employ labour. He pleaded <milty and was sent to the Supreme Court for sentence. William Roydhouse, a clerk in the Labour Department, said that on February 4 he handled an application purporting to come from J. Keay, ICB, Panmure "Road, Ellerslie, stating that a m an was required to do two days' work on a section. The form was signed "J. Keay"'and the application was approved. \n employment form was then issued to J. Keay advising that the work would be undertaken and that 14/ subsidy would be paid on completion of the work after Keay had paid his part of the wages. - ■ ■ "The employment sup was returned, said witness. "It was signed 'J. Keay' and showed that the work had been done and that 14/ had been paid to the worker, who was shown as'a man called W. J. Finch. On receipt of the slip, the Department issued a voucher for 14/ and the money was collected by Finch." "Impulse of Moment." When seen by Detective McWhirter on March 19, Finch made a statement in which he said: — "I am a married man with one child four months old. I have not been in permanent employment for the past 15 months. On February 4 I went to the Labour Department to see if I could wet work and I met a man whom I had seen there previously. I started a conversation with him about work. He told me he never did any work, but got the money. I asked him how he did it, and he told me to put a friend's name on a bit of paper and no inquiries, would be made. . "I obtained an application form from the Labour Department, filled it in and sicmed the name J. Keay. The man showed me what to do. He was with me the whole time until I received the 14/, but I did not give him any of the money. I don't know what his name is or where he can be found. I did this on the impulse of the moment."