POLICE COURT

Southland Times, Issue 21089, 22 May 1930, Page 3

POLICE COURT

YESTERDAY’S BUSINESS. Mr E. C. Lcvvey, S.M., presided at a sitting of the Police Court yesterday. The Stock Inspector (Mr O. O. Mackley) proceeded against M. O Brien (Underwood) on a charge of having lice-infected sheep in his possession. Defendant was fined 20/-, costs 10/-. Thomas O'Connor, a young man, pleaded guilty to using obscene language in a public place and was fined £3, costs 10/-. | Owen Davis, for riding a cycle after dark without a light, was convicted and discharged. - Frederick Edward Stevens (Rimu), who was similarly charged, was fined 10/-, costs 12/-. Thomas Henry Louis Cross (Mr F. G. Hall-Jones) pleaded guilty to three charges of supplying false declarations to the Pensions Department. Detective-Sergeant Hewitt said that the defendant and his wife were both in receipt of pensions. He had' to fill in a declaration every month of his earnings and in doing so gave wrong information by recording less wages than he had earned. The result was that his wife was overpaid in her pension. Mr Hall-Jones explained to the Court that defendant was a Maori and really made a guess of what his earnings were. He did not realize the necessity of accuracy. He was drawing wages from the Government. It was sheer carelessness and there was no intention to defraud. In effect he had been robbing himself as he had let pass claims which would have amounted to oyer £5OO by now. On the first charge defendant was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon within 12 months, and on the second and third charges ordered to pay costs and refund to the Pensions Department at the rate of 30/- per week the moneys overpaid to hun.