CUSTOMS DEFRAUDED.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume III, Issue 77, 14 March 1913, Page 5

CUSTOMS DEFRAUDED.

CONFIDENTIAL CLERK DISAPPEARS.

Melbourne. March 13.

A sensation was caused in commercial circles by the disappearance of Charles Heath, a trusted officer in Permewan, Wright and Co.'s employ, followed by the discovery of a shortage cf between £l5OO and £2OOO in bis accounts.

This is alleged to be the result of an ingenious system of defrauding the customs duties, for which the company is responsible as customs agents of a number of large importing firms.

Heath, who handled these moneys, disappeared some weeks, since when an investigation has been proceeding. The loss falls on the company.

A CLEVER FRAUD SCHEME.

(Received 14, 9.20 a.m.) Melbourne, March 14.

•An investigation reveals that a remarkable scheme was adopted in the Heath case. It is alleged that instead of the cheque for duty being paid at the Custom house and the whole of the goods taken d eel i very of, a different set of documents was made out representing that some were goods in transit to another country, and should 'be dealt with in bond.. The device adopted in order to get these out of Custom control without paying duty was to stop at a secret depot on the way from one vessel to another and empty the goods into other cases which were got np to represent the original cases. The latter were then filled with old bricks and rubbish and planed aboard the outward-bound vessel, addressed to a fictitious firm at another port. The goods themselves were carefully packed at the secret depot in cases similar to the original cases and delivered to importers. The Customs officials discovered New Zealand cases sent • there, lying unclaimed, and when opened they were found to contain rubbish.