FALSE PRETENCES ALLEGED

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1929, Page 11

FALSE PRETENCES ALLEGED

CANVASS IN INVERCARGILL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Invercargill, Last Night. The middle-aged man, Percy Harry Ellis, alias Henry Miller, alias Miller, who claimed to bo a canvasser for a Wellington firm, appeared before Mr. W. H. Woodward in the Police .Court today charged with obtaining money by fraud in that he falsely represented himself to be an advance agent of the New Zealand Pictorial News and in the employ of the Government Publicity De- ’ partment. He pleaded not guilty to the three charges preferred against, him. Detective-Sergeant Hewitt said Ellis had represented limself to .be the representative of the New Zealand Pictorial News and the Government Publicity Department and had obtained deposits from business people who were told that photographs would be taken and published in the South Island supplement of the Pictorial News. Accused had also eaid that a film was. to be made and shown in New Zealand and abroad. He had received the money and then disappeared, and nothing further had been done.

John Sprague Haywood, an account-

ant in a garage, said that during May Fair Week a man called upon him ia connection with an advertising scheme. The man in question was in the dock. The man told witness that he represented the Publicity Department and wag soliciting orders for advertising in commercial business ■ at home and abroad. The only charge the Government would make would be 15s for the film. The men who were to take the pictures were in the vicinity and would take the film on the following day or that evening. The machine for taking the photographs would operate in daylight or darkness. Thomas Lewis, a storekeeper at north Invercargill, said he remembered- a man calling at his shop; The man had asked for 12s Gd for the plates after they were finished with for publicity purposes. He had said Sir Joseph Ward sent him down for May Fair Week and the pictures would be reproduced in the Pictorial News. Witness sold the Pictorial News in his shop, but the.-picture of his shop had never appeared in it. William Lewis, son of the previous' 6 witness, said he recognised the accused,. who had called at the shop about May Fair time.

Accused, in the witness-box, said his proper name was Percy Harry Ellis. He had been going under the name of Miller for five years. He was employed by Webley and Co. in Wellington, and they supplied him with sample photographs. He understood that they had. a contract with the Government to make pictures of the roads and industries’ of the South Island. Accused was to start from Pictdn and work south. Webley and Co. had a motion picture apparatus similar to that used in Invercargill dux’ing May Fair. ‘ •' ' / Elljs*said the orders had been sent to Canvastown as they were filled in. H® did not say he had been sent down by Sir Joseph Ward but had said that Sir Joseph was good to the people in sending a motion picture camera to Invercargill. Accused admitted that he'hacl been known as Percy in Auckland. H© changed his name for reasons of , his own. He had not sold advertising- space in the Pictorial News when he ./uraa known as Percy in Auckland. Hia counsel had written to Webley but had received no reply. / .■ Counsel for accused asked if, the Court could hold the matter over until Ellis was tried in Auckland. He would like to attempt to locate Webley. .. ' ; The Magistrate: “Ellis, cannot you assist your counsel to find Webley?” i “Everything, has been so upset since the eruption I do not know where Web* ley is.” The Magistrate said that if Webley were not found he would have to assume, there was no Webley. Accused said Webley had his headquarters in Canvastown. ‘ 1 The detective-sergeant: Canvastown ifl a strange place for a man with a Gov* ernment contract to make his headquarters. .. ■ Tho case was adjourned until Satnr* day.