MONEY OBTAINED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22612, 15 April 1948, Page 6

MONEY OBTAINED

FALSE STATEMENTS SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS Fines totalling £35 were imposed on a Manutuke Maori, Hoani Ngatai, when he appeared before Mr. E. L. Walton, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court in Gisborne yesterday on seven charges of making false statements under the Social Security Act. The charges were that on seven different dates between October 28, 1947, and December 8, 1947, Ngatai ,for the purpose of obtaining unemployment benefits under the the Social Security Act made a false statement as to his own and his wife’s earnings so as to mislead an officer engaged in the administration of the Act. Ngatai pleaded guilty to each charge Prosecuting for the police, Sergeant R. Griffith stated that the defendant had been in bad health for some time and he had been obtaining social security benefits. At the end of October Ngatai and his wife obtained work thistle-cutting on Opou station, Manutuke, at £1 a day each. He continued to make declarations that neither he nor his wife had received earnings and thus obtained £24 in tHe two months. During that period Ngatai’s earnings were £37 17s lid and his wife’s £4B Is, a total of £BS 18s lid. When interviewed, Ngatai admitted making the false declarations and said he did so as he thought he might have to stop work at any time. During June and July of last year Ngatai had received £5 19s from the Social Security Department to which he was not entitled. This amount had been refunded and Ngatai warned. “You defrauded the department of £24. You are liable to a penalty of £IOO, or 12 months’ imprisonment on each charge,” said the magistrate in fining Ngatai £5 and costs on each charge.