SOLICITOR FINED.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 41, 17 August 1923, Page 8

SOLICITOR FINED.

That he had failed to furnish returns of his income derived during the past four years was the allegation made against a solicitor named Hugh Burnett, of Woodville, who entered a plea of .guilty to the four charges, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court to-day. , . Prosecuting on behalf of the Department, Mr. J. M. Tudhope said that : although in the present instance there were only four' informations, the defendant had not furnished returns for the past ten years. He had ignored all communications by the Department, and even by the Crown Law Office. He was ("interviewed on three occasions by an 'inspector, and although making mim.erous promises had failed to do any- • thing definite in the matter.

j! "It is very difficult to understand how ,a solicitor, above all, can ignore in .this manner.his obligations under the Act. We tried every means to obtain the necessary infprmation, but received ■no reply." • ■

, The defendant, while not finding fault with the Department, said that he wished that action had been taken much earlier. He had for some time been considerably worried, and suffered. from extreme shortness of sight. He asked for whatever leniency the Court could extend to him, and promised that he would to his best to furnish the returns at an early date.-.

Fines of £20 and costs were imposed on each.of three of the charges, while the fourth was adjourned to enable Burnett to adjust his returns. The Magistrate commented that defendant had had ample opportunity of complying with the law, and even though he was suffering from a disability, he could have employed someone to make up the return.

For a similar offence to the above in regard to the year ending March, 1923, Joseph Lewis, general manager of the Vacuum Oil Company, Limited, was fined £10 and costs.