CUSTOMS FRAUDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1089, 30 March 1911, Page 5

CUSTOMS FRAUDS.

MOTOR IMPORTER GOES TO GAOL. By Teloßrapli-l'rcss AssociaUon-Oopyrieht (Rec. March 29, 9 p.m.) Sydney, March 29. The High Court has fixed tho penalties payable by Ernest Samuel Turner, carrying on business as the "General Motor Company," for evading Customs duties payable on motor-cars imported by him. Turner was convicted on Friday last, before Mr. Justice Barton, but decision as to tho amount of the penalty was reserved. There were two cas»s. Tho first covered five shipments of cars on which duty was underpaid to the extent of dC4IO, and the second sixteen shipments, on which duties' amounting to JE3774 were evaded. The Department suggested that a penalty of ,£12,000 should be inflicted, the maximum for which Turner was liable being ,£125,000. The Court to-day fixed the penalties at ,£5120, As Turner failed to find security for tho payment of the money, and also failed to find bail, the Court ordered his committal to prison- until the penalties aro paid. It was admitted in this case that the methods by which the evasions of duty were effected were:—Making false entrie'j in regard to goods by undervaluing or misdcscribing them; by falsely stating tho place of origin; by producing documents which purported to be genuine • invoices, but which were not in lacl genuine; but invoices printed in Sydney purporting to bo the genuine invoices of tho Bolsizo Motors, Ltd., and Tozer, Kemslcy, and Fisher, Ltd., and in some cases declarations purporting to be signed in England were typed, in Sydney on the back of the false invoices, and signed, but not declared to by the defendant in Sydney, in the nanie of James Phillips, chief 'clerk Of the Belsize Motors, ltd., of Manchester. Those invoice forms and statements were good imitations of the firm's genuine invoice and statements. It was admitted.'however, that,on May 2S, 1907, Messrs.-8. W. Bacon, ami Co.. process engravers, of Pitt Street, Sydney, executed for tho defendant an order for two engraving blocks, and. the account which syas rendered' showed that the headings 'of' the blocks were "Bolsizo Motors, Ltd.," and "Tozer, Kemslcy, and Fisher, Ltd." These engraving blocks were handed over to Messrs. Smith aiid Lane, of Bridge' Street, and on June G, 1907, that firm printed and delivered to the order of defendant 500 invoice, forms in the name of tho Belsize Motors, Ltd., and a similar number of statement forms lin the na'm'o of Tozer, Kemslcy, and I Fisher, Ltd.

1 Counsel for tho defence slated that Turner' was a mechanic, and had started practically without capital. He had been m business since 190J or .1901, and tho frauds alleged against him began somo time in 1907. He found himself in difficulties, because, whilst ho had to find the money for the goods he imported, ho started selling them on time payment, and tho money was slow in coming in. Ho had imported goods to tho value of about .£40,000, in respect of which no offences were alleged against him.' His moral nature was, however, weak, and when he found himself in difficulties ho gave way to the temptation.