RELIEF FRAUDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23009, 9 April 1938, Page 20

RELIEF FRAUDS

"EXCEPTIONAL CASES" FALSE PRETENCES CHARGE MAGISTRATE IMPOSES FINES "'This is one of those exceptional cases that does not call for imprisonment," said .Sir. C. 11. Orr Walker, S.M., when Joseph Garner, charged with obtaining money from the Employment Promotion Fund by false pretences, appeared in the Police Court yesterday.

Mr. W. A. Black, who nppcarcd for the Labour Department, said that for two weeks in 1937 accused's wife had earnod £2 4s 7d and £2 l is, but accused i declared that she had earned nothing, and ho received £1 13s 3d sustenance. Both declarations wore made after the magistrate's warning. Accused was a married man with one child, and had had a great deal of worry.

Accused said ho had boen worried over securing money to pay the rent for his house, as he was threatened with eviction.

The magistrate imposed a fine of £5. Hoy Kitchener Campbell (Mr. Aekins), pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining money from the Employment Promotion Fund by falso proteneos.

Mr. Black said accused had beon on sustenance from April to July last year, when his wile had been earning £2 Os 7d a week. Accused made 15 false declarations, nine of thetn after the magistrate's warning, and received an excess of £ll 13s 9d. He was at present on sustenance, and his wife was earning £2 10s sd. Accused stated that at the time he made the false declarations his wile and lie were living with their mothers. Mr. Aekins said accused had, been declaring his wife's earnings since his attention had been drawn to the mat'tcr. He was 22 years old, and was very keen to got work. He had been keeping company with a young woman, and to aid him in his efforts to get work they had married. . "There are circumstances in the case which will entitle mg not to send him to prison," said the magistrate, who imposed a fine of £l7, remarking that it would cover the amount of the defalcations and also a fine for punishFinos in cases where false statements Avere made for the purpose of obtaining benefits under the Employment Promotion Act, were imposed as follows, with costs:—Alfred Claude \\ ood : ward, two charges, £4O and £5; Haanu Net an a, £l2 10s.