CURRENCY NOT DECLARED

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27047, 23 May 1953, Page 8

CURRENCY NOT DECLARED

BREACH OF FINANCE REGULATIONS

MAGISTRATE’S WARNING TO TRAVELLERS

(New Zealand Press Associatidh) AUCKLAND, May 22. Robert Edgar Mcßae, a company manager (Mr Haigh), was fined £3O by Mr W. S. Spence, Sj.M., in the Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of having, with intent to deceive, made a false statement in a declaration, for the purpose of the Finance Emergency Regulations, 1940. Mcßae denied the charge. « Senior-Detective J. B. Finlay said that, on November 2. the accused had been about to leave New Zealand by a Tasman Airways plane. He handed the customs officer the required declaration form, in which he had drawn two lines through the space provided for declaring money which he was taking with him to Australia. Soon afterwards, the customs officer noticed him flourishing a roll of bank notes. The accused was later taken into an office and searched. New Zealand currency totalling £lOB and Australian currency amounting to £4l 10s was found on him.

The. accused was allowed to go to Australia with £7. as permitted by the regulations, said Senior-Detective Finlay. The rest of the money was confiscated. The accused said he had intended giving the money to his fiancee to pay her passage to Australia. Even if this were true, a considerable excess would have been left, as the return fare was £6B Is. The Australian currency was obviously intended for spending in Australia. Mcßae gave evidence that he had hoped to buy a return ticket for his fiandee so that she could follow him to Australia. He intended giving her the money left over. He had accumulated the Australian currency during previous trips, and had not realised how much he had with him. Mr Haigh submitted that, when the money was taken from the accused, he still had an opportunity of giving it to his fiancee, who was waiting at the barriep, before he embarked on the plane. The question of wilful intent to deceive could not be upheld until the stage had been reached when the accused was actually about to board the plane. The Magistrate said the accused had shown no disposition to acknowledge the Australian Currency. In the interests of the country s economy, it was important that persons, especially frequent travellers, obeyed the regulations.