CHARGES DENIED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 128, 2 June 1938, Page 8

CHARGES DENIED.

TRAFFIC LICENSES.

COLLECTING OF FEES.

ALLEGED FAILURE TO ACCOUNT. Five charges of fraudulently omittim. to account to the Auckland city Council , for sums total]in™ £I~> 0/2, received a t Devonport between CMober 4 jjj December 14. 1937. were brought asainrt Edmund Jolin Champion Finney in t}» I Police Court to-day. 1 Mr. C. K. Orr Walker. S.M.. presided and Detective-Sergeant Mi-Hugh prosecuted. " j Mr. L. P. represented the accused, who pleaded not guilty to til charges. j Detective - Sergeant McHugh said I accused had been employed a? traffic j inspector for the Devonpori Boroneh iCouneii since Augut-t. 193ti. Prior to thit !he was for nine year* in the traffie department of the Auckland City Council, i Heavy traffic licenses were obtained be (application on the prescribed form. Fees j were payable at the trafiie department , * office at the Town Hall. "It has become a practice with accused to receive fees from truck owners in hij district and hand them into the CStr Council's traffic depart inent's office «i that ownei.j could obtain their licenses" said Mr. McHugh. '-Finny has bee' n I acting as an agent. . He did this wort on his own volition. It wax not part of I his duty. We will prove that accused collected amounts mentioned in the charges, hut did not account for tliese sums to the Auckland City Council." "Although he had no licnt tn collect fees it apparently grew a< a practice and no exception was taken to it." Mr. Leary: He paid in a preat number of fees. A number of witnesses were called and crave evidence supporting the charpes that certain heavy traffic foes had been !paid to Finney at Devonport. but that the j defendant liacl not eiven rc-eipts. nor had the licenses been received from the traffic department of the Auckland Citr Council. ! Two cashier clerks in the traffic department of the Auckland City Cotin-]<-il said that Finney had at times paid to the City Council office sums he had collected as heavy traffic fees at DevonI port. In respect of the present charges no money had been received from Finnev for the amounts it was alleged had been paid to him. J The hearing is proceeding.