BRIBE ACCEPTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26846, 10 August 1948, Page 6

BRIBE ACCEPTED

ADMISSION BY CLERK BUILDING CONTROL OFFICE REMANDED FOR SENTENCE P.A. AUCKLAND,-Aug 9. Two breaches of the Secret Commissions Act, 1910, were admitted by a former member of the staff of the Auckland building'controller, Stephen Patrick Foster, aged 49, a storeman (Mr Hart), before Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M. Laid under section 4 of the Act, the charges were that on or about May 5 he corruptly solicited £lO from Eric Thomas Brown as a reward for facilitating the granting of a building permit to Brown, and that about the same date he accepted the money. Detective Sergeant Fell prosecuted. Eric Thomas Brown, a clerk, said that some time before March 16 he telephoned the building control office in Auckland to find out what floor space he would be allowed for a house he proposed to build on a section he owned at Takapuna. He did not know who answered the telephone, but from what the person said he understood he would be entitled to build a house of 1450 square feet of floor space. Witness said he called later at the office to confirm the telephone conversation. and saw the accused, who told him his name was Foster. Witness already had a plan of the house, and the floor space was 1450 feet in accordance with the telephone advice. There were three bedrooms in the plan. The accused explained that at present four bedrooms would be required in a house of 1450 feet. “I agreed I would amend the plan to provide for four bedrooms,” continued witness. On March 16 he wrote to the Takapuna Borough Council enclosing the amended plan and specifications and an application for a building permit. About April 30, after returning from a holiday, witness received a letter dated April 26 from the building control office .stating that his application to build a house had been refused. The letter stated that he was only entitled to build a house of 1300 feet of floor space. Witness said he went to the building control office on May 3 and saw Foster. He asked why the application had been rejected in view of the fact that he had put it in in accordance with their requirements. _ “ The accused then seemed very surprised it was rejected and said it was worth 1450 feet of anyone's money," said witness. I assumed that with' the family I had I was entitled to 1450 feet. The accused called in a Mr Pratt, whom witness had not seen before. Pratt gave witness the impression that the application had been rejected in Wellington possibly because of a question over a person living with witness who was not a member of witness’s family. Witness said this person had been living with him for. some years. “I asked the accused what I should do and he suggested that I write a letter explaining the position of my family,” continued witness. “ Then the accused asked me, How badly do you want this house? I said I had one of the best waterfront sections at Takapuna and I was not going to build a small house on it. “ The accused then said to me, * Perhaps two fivers in a plain envelope might help,’” said witness. “I was a bit staggered. I did not expect that. There was no further conversation and I left.” > 1 , , Witness said he returned to his office and had a letter explaining the position of his family typed. “ 1 thought the matter over, and it looked to me the only way I could get the space I was entitled to was to pay the money as requested,” added witness. “I collected the original plans and specifications from the Takapuna Borough Council and took them, together with the letter and together with a plain envelope and two £f». notes, to the building controller’s office on May 5 and asked for the accused. I handed him all those documents and the plain envelope containing the £5 notes.” , , '. About May 7, through the post, he received a permit to proceed with the building of his home. The permit entitled him to build a house of 1450 feet with four bedrooms. Witness took it that the accused’s advice about his writing a letter about his family position was effective in getting the permit. Witness understood ne merely got what he was legally entitled to. Thomas McKnight, a radio engineer, said that from February 26 to July , 16, 1948, he,was in charge of the building control office in Auckland The accused was employed in the office for about two years. His job was mainly in connection with materials which were scarce on occasions. He assisted in signing the outward mail. Some of that mail included authorities to construct houses. He signed .with witness’s name and his own initials. The approval of the authorities would be given earlier by other officers. Mr Hart: The affairs in your office have been in a chaotic state lately? Witness: I don’t know that. I can say that there was too much work for the staff available, and matters bad to be deferred. Foster was committed to the Supreme, Court for sentence on August 19. He made a voluntary appearance. Bail was allowed at £SO with one surety of £SO.