CHARGE OF FRAUD: REFORMATIVE DETENTION ORDERED

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 October 1948, Page 4

CHARGE OF FRAUD: REFORMATIVE DETENTION ORDERED

(P.A.) TIMARU This Day Thomas Ewart Gill, aged 55 formerly proprietor of the Timaru Central Egg Floor, was sentenced to one year’s reformative detention, and Reginald Tong, aged 44, an accountant, of Christchurch, was sentenced ! to two year’s reformative detention by Mr Justice Fleming in the Supreme Court at Timaru yesterday. The accused had pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring with each other by deceit to defraud the New Zealand Government of £lB6l 3s 4d between December 1 1946, and July 3, ,1948. j The case was one of public importance, in that in Nev/ Zealand, as in other countries, the Government was playing an increasing part in the 1 trading life of the community, said ' his Honour. I Mr C. S. Thomas said that as the turnover of the Timaru Central Egg Floor rose, the need for money to run i the floor increased. The Government had promised and given assistance, but sometimes it was slow in coming. Gill sold his poultry farm and put all his money into the egg floor, but he was still short. “It was then he adopted this dishonesty and I may say iit was almost forced upon him,” I said Mr Thomas. “Gill has made restitution of the money involved.” Mr Brassington said that Tong’s war service might have developed in him a carelessness towards Government property.