FALSE WAGES ENTRIES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 287, 31 August 1935, Page 15

FALSE WAGES ENTRIES

Employer and Employee Convicted PLEAS OF GUILTY Pleas of guilty to charges connected with false entries in a wages book were made by Leslie Clifford and Charles Yates in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Clifford was charged with wilfully signing an incorrect record in the wages and time book in respect of the amount of wages paid to him. Yates was charged with wilfully making false entries in the wages and overtime book in respect of the amounts paid to Clifford.

Mr. L. G. Goodacre, inspector of awards, said that Yates was a butcher at Berhampore, Clifford being in his employ. A visit to the shop had been made in January in response to a complaint that Clifford had not been receiving award rates of pay, and it had been found that he had been receiving 30/- per week instead of £2 14/-, the wages for a 19-year-old assistant. For a period of seven weeks, £7/14/- had been short paid. This amount had subsequently been paid. Further information had been received that Clifford was still working for less than award rates, and in May, Clifford was questioned in the presence of his employer, as to what he was really paid. He said he had been getting 35/- a week, but the wages book showed £2/14/-. The falsification had been going on for 14 weeks, the arrears amounting to £l3/G/-. On the first occasion, the worker had paid back the £7/14/- to his employer in order to retain his job. In mitigation it might be contended that meat had been given to the worker in part-payment of wages. There was an unwritten law in some butchers’ shops, that the employees received meat, but the amount- given to Clifford did not nearly ■ compensate for the amount short paid. Mr. S. G. Stevenson said that the original inquiry had been in respect of the employment of a butcher’s assistant, aged 18, rather than a message boy, which was the work Clifford had been doing. Clifford had voluntarily handed over the cheque to his employer and had begged to be allowed to remain. The meat which he had been given averaged between 8/- and 10/per week, When the offences had been committed Yates was on the eve of starting business on his own account, and he had allowed his sympathy to outrun his discretion. He had arranged to pay the £l3 owing, and £8 of this had actually been paid. Asked by the magistrate, Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., whether he had anything to say, Clifford answered: It was either that or else be out of work. Clifford was convicted and fined £1 and costs, and Yates, £3 and costs. In a civil action the department claimed £5 penalty from Clifford and £lO from Yates, and in these cases Mr. Mosley gave judgment for 5/- and £2 respectively.