SWINDLING THE POOR.

Northern Advocate, 10 May 1915, Page 6

SWINDLING THE POOR.

'AMAZING STOHi' Vl< 1-UAL D. I SYDNEY GENERAL RELIEF FUND. Extraordinary statement a concerning tile disposal of funds allegedly collected for the poor of Sydney was made at tho Sydney Waiw , i*o 1 i-..• o Court a Cow days ;i!u>. Thomas Lovoll ■ kothv.'oil, aged ::», was before the court charged wit 1 having on <jr about April it imposed upon Samuel Nouiei/iu by iraaduloiu representation. Me pleaded guilty. Mr of .■:>; CV.nvu L:iw Department, said c-ia'. it was desirable that ceriain facts should he pat forward so that the public could learn what had boon done? in the diapos il of certain money received for charitable i)!i:-;>o:".'i.'". i';c ; ;r..di was the. honorary director of a:. organisation known ;.o the Sydr.-v C moral Poor Relief I-"u:i.:, vriil: h awj i:e":i in existence for ;;o.:ks. T-ioiv v,-;.'s ;!>?:> .::n "honorary ! re:;.. , ; , . iV! , ," : \io received .l!L'."> or :: ;. e~r. ;..-;:. \,:i'A 'Aw attOllii-..:!'. U I/!. A> !r ' '•' : C-Ii 0 :"l: W.tS \ diiu'.'i..'.: ;.;■ :.;■.:• :■• :.-.!■-:.lLoii, and an office: , t.v.s ("leiivted i> '.;,) Un'oii;. , ;!! the ]>ol.:;s. r.'ni-. i.;;!' , i.:;a o'aainod, and [!■■.■• v.'.-i ;:r..':.ie;.i!y nolhiny ro clie.'k ;:>■.> onti'ii.-i- ia t'.j Uoc/k. o> , ccLi.iccrnoN. Evor vl 1: hn;' 0.'. , .!? i disorder, Ali , RobißOii t .v.jiaiut'.i, liut it was ('iscovei'e.; tlial a niriii was in the country who iia.-i. in two cr throo yenro colic.cd .L'l'JOi) t'oi - the ineiitution. About £400. i\a:i been kept by the collector for 5a1:.!. , .', ooumiis.sion, a.nd travelling expenses, and til;; balance, noiu-ly cC2UO, had beoa aem to Sydney and ap]).ied :>y Roihweli in paymc'iii. of a debt incurred, Uot.invt.dl ?;iiil, in the ' cbnt'ro! of ;t nt-w.sjKiper run by the society two years before. Rothwell was responsible for th.it debt. So ol the LISOO collected tiie pour of Sydney received nothing. Efforts to trace, the collector in the country failed Rothwcll wiUr advised to up llu organisation, and in n letter to the. Auditor-General on July ll he gave particulars of the committee (wellknown Sydney people, Mr Robison explained, who had unfortunately lon , their names to the organisation, while knowing little about it), and state;, that no balance-sheet of the fund liar been published. Ho said that he hn< no objection to (ho fund dosing down as it had caused him annoyance am expense. He, added that but for th< way in which the police had hecklet him it would have ceased long ago He had had enough police inquiry U rouse the obstinacy of any man, es pecially as he had done nothing wronj and had tried to help others. Tin fund's writing pafter was headed "There is something good in even tin most depraved. We ask your helj and sympathy to find and develop thi< goodness. God and man." CHEQUE FOR BOOKMAKERS. Nothing, Air Robison continue;) was done until recently, when Roth v-01l told Mm Uidt all collectors ha. been given notice to cease. Earl] in April Rothwell wrote to Detective Jordan stating that the i'uml hat voluntarily ceased its work. Sonic days later Roth well wrote to the Oown So H'itor at his present address, pleadiVig for assistance to the fund, pointing out that serious indeed. v:as the- position of a large number depending on them, and that unless aid was received they could >;e;; no altennrliva Tor Lh e terrible sufteriurs of.the poor, helpless, and sic l -: being iiol only continued but i:i:ro:i;-;-.;;. . Thai letter handed io I lie Crown Law Office, and int'orma'.'ion v.';u> rocj-ived about a genUcym-'.n having i : "»t a checjue to ■RothvoU this month. "Envuirie;.;," vent on Air Robinson, "brought io iighf tlia following letter, v.'hich had boon received by a firm of bookinaicers:-—"As you will see by enclosed voucher, £1 was placed on Pedestrian.. As he didn't start I presume the £ 1 is returnable; therefore place it as under, together with the J: 4 enclosed: City Tatt's Cup, Saturday, April 17, Necktie, 1, 2, 3 (place), i^. , We then discovered that the cheque referred to had been sent to the bookI 2.:aker, a;rl in view of the facts I ! have no hesitation in asking that , you impose the maximum penalty of ■ six months, '"When arrctted, a cheue for £ 1 ! 1". from Mr King, 5..M., and another ■ cheque for £2 2s, were found on I Rothwcll. The fact that one cheque : was sent to a bookmaker to put on • a horse is sufficient evidence as to what had become oi' the other contributions. The police have not been able to trace anybody who had received financial asisstance from this institution. Old" clothes have been given away, and a grocery receipt ■ has been discovered, but what be- ■ came of the groceries we cannot ; tell."

"FATHOMLESS HYPOCRISY." j Mr Harnttt, S.M.: The cheque j sent by Mr Nettleton was for one J guinea, i presume Mr Robi::o.u: Yes. Mr Barnett: And that was sent to a bookmaker, and forma the basis of this charge.' \ Mr Rob : .-.0-i: Yes. Keihweil tol t | the court that he had paid a h;t of money to the poor. Mr I'ia.ruett: Did you pass this money referred to on to a bookmaker? Kothwell: Yes; I thought so lons a s 1 paid the money it would be ail right. Mr Ro.KHou said that Rothwe.l had been sentenced to two years' imprisonment, lor false pretences in 1 tio4, and had other convictions recorded against him. Mr Bnrueu, in sentencing him to i six months' imprisonment, said that !he svas extremely fortunate that the case did not go to a higher court. Six months wa s o xtremely light punishment for what was really fathomless hypocrisy.