FALSE CERTIFICATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18897, 20 December 1924, Page 22 (Supplement)

FALSE CERTIFICATES.

OLD-AGE PENSION FRAUD. "A sustained and regular wholesale traffic in fraudulent certificates, extending over a long period." This was the sheriff's comment at Stornoway recently, says a London paper, in passing sentence of 18 months' imprisonment on Donald MacKinnin, a crofter. MacKinnin was charged with having, while acting as session clerk of the Crossboat Free Church ' congregation, fraudulently issued birth certificates to' applicants for old age pensions. He withdrew a plea of not, guilty so far as the third of three charges as concerned —namely, the issuing of certificates for which there were no corresponding entries in the congregational baptismal register. Mr. Semple, who defended, urged that MacKinnin had acted under strong importunity on the part of persons who said they were co-aged with others. who were able to prove date of birth. In some cases MacKinnin charged 3s' Id, . in others only I*.. . At 3s Id the 27 certificates mentioned in the charge to ■- which he. pleaded guilty would have brought him only a little over £4. He . had a family of nine, and owing to the. poorness of his land he did casual labour at 8d an hour to make ends meet. The Procurator-Fiscal said that the certificates mentioned in the charge were a mere selection. Already over 160 pensioners had been struck off the roll, and new cases were arising almost daily. . . In many cases pensioners had- been drawing allowances for the past two years, and had not yet attained the statutory age. through spurious certificates issued by the. accused. The Commissioners of Customs and Excise had been defrauded of £5924. '