Father And Son Heavily Fined

Northern Advocate, 8 April 1943, Page 2

Father And Son Heavily Fined

Walter Charles Davison and Keith W. Davison were each fined £IOO in the Sydney Central Summons Court on a charge of conspiring to defraud the Commonwealth Government. Mr. Hardwick, S.M., also ordered the defendants to make reparation to an amount of £37/15/- each. Mr. Beale (for the prosecution) said that Walter Davison was the nroprietor of an engineering works at Gardeners Road. Mascot, and Keith Davison, his son, was employed by him. From 1940 they had been engaged, among other things, in carrying out work under contract from the War Department. As a result of an investigation by the Department of Munitions, it was ascertained that thev were keeping duplicate time sheets, and it was alleged that thev were charging the Commonwealth with wages and costs for which they had already been paid, or would be naid. bv outside contractors. There were 31 duplicate time sheets, and it was alleged that the Commonwealth had been defrauded of £75/10/-. The contract was on the basis of cost plus 4 per cent. Further investigations were made, and a statement was made by the defendants in which it was admitted that the time sheets were prepared by the son at the father’s direction, and that amounts were wrongly charged to the Commonwealth. Their excuse was that they had suffered losses .in previous contracts ; .with the Commonwealth, and that this was their way of making up these losses.