DECLARATIONS QUERIED

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1930, Page 9

DECLARATIONS QUERIED

APPLICATIONS FOR LOANS

FAT.SE REPRESENTATION CHARGE; THREE MlfN BEFORE THE COURT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Dec. 19. The hearing began to-day of charges against three men in connection with State advances loans., Brian?.. Dunning.?; ham, aged 23, a solicitor, was charged in six instances with aiding and abetting persons to- make declarations which would amount to perjury if made on oath. The-declarations are all alleged to have been made in support of applications for loans from the State Advances Department. Dunningham and William Cornelius Torckler, a taxi-driver, were jointly charged ’with obtaining from the'■departement £B6O by falsely representing that the money was for the erection of a house for the sole use of Doris Fordyce Chappell and Ernest Cedric Chappell. Torckler was also charged with counselling Raymond George' Hausman to make a declaration equivalent to perjury.

Samuel Thomas Baker, aged 36, a carpenter, was also charged with making-a declaration equivalent to jerjury. Etnest Cedric Chappell, a painter, bf St. Leonard’s Road, Mt. Eden, was the first witness. He said he purchased a section at i?oirit Ghevalier in April, 1926, for £245 on a £25 deposit and monthly instalments of 48s. In March, 1927, he applied to the State Advances for a loan of £ll(>s. The tender for the house was £9OO. After waiting eighteen months it did not seem likely a loan would be granted, and as he was then .unable to keep up the payments he tried to re-' coup his loss by selling the section. Dunningham ’ called on him in December, 1928, and said lie had. a lady whe required a section, but wanted a Government loan with it. “I asked him how I would stand with a Government loan,” said witness, “and Dunningham told me I would get back what I had paid on it, and' that he would arrange for a new loan application.” ? Witness next received a letter from a valuation officer and showed it .to Dunningham. The letter asked why the Government sale notice was placed on the property. Accused advised witness to see the valuator and tell him the application would be renewed.. ; Mr. Meredith (for the Crown): You knew the application was nqt to be for you* . , '

Yes. . ' . - Mr. Meredith: Arid Dunningham knew also? i . Yes. . . ■ ’

Mr. Meredith: Before you went to the Valuation Department di<j you ask Duriningham if it was all right ?

DID NOT WANT TWELVE MONTHS.

Yes. My wjfe asked him if it- was a right thing and Dunningham told her it was. My wife said she did not want to do twelve months in Mount Ederi.

The witness said that later Dunning-, ham wrote out a letter, which, witness copied, stating that he had withdrawn the section from sale and would be carrying on with the loan. Later still he and* his wife signed a declaration supporting the loan application; He did; not see the body of the application be-fore-signing and he did not know that the declaration said' that he and his wife would reside permanently on the property. He got £53 from Dunningham out’6f’the Iban, Which he had put into the section.

Witness"‘ then made a statement that Dunningham on August 19 last called on him at the house and stayed for two hours. Defectives. Dbyleand O’Sullivan had arrived previously and were in the next room. -A

Chappell said Dunningham told him he wanted witness to meet Torckler; the three of them should get together and talk things oyer, Dunningham said he was sure there was nothing wrong, and added: “If we do not get together we will all be making different statements. If we do that we will all he in the soup.” Defective-Sergeant P. J. Doyle stated that on the evening. of August ,19 he called with Detective O’Sullivan at Chappell’s home, where he learned that Dunningham was coining a little later. They went into a bedroom adjoining the breakfast room and could hear through the wall quite plainly. When Dunningham entered witness took up a position at the connecting door and heard the conversation, which both he and Detective O’Sullivan recorded. A verbatim report of the conversation between Dunningham and Chappell was read by the "Defective-Sergeant. Witness stated that he interviewed Torckler -on August 7. He asked Torckler how he had come to occupy the house and he replied that he.had asked Dunningham to collect some money for him from Chappell, but Dunningham had not succeeded and he had been advised to take the money out as rent. “On December 4 1 arrested Torckler,” continued witness. “I read the warrant to him and he replied: ‘1 do not remember that.. This will be a clean up of the State advances. There will be-a few disclosures? ”

After further evidence the hearing was adjourned till Monday.