PUBLIC MAN FINED

Taranaki Daily News, 21 September 1931, Page 6

PUBLIC MAN FINED

»■ [UNEMPLOYMENT IRREGULARITY. PENALTY OF £2O IMPOSED. Masterton, Sept. 18. [Because he employed an unemployed porker on his farm for four days, and Certified that he had been employed by sis board for'this period under the No. scheme, Thomas B. Heapy, chairman Of the Ahikouka River Board, and a former of Greytown, was convicted in Jne Masterton Magistrate’s Court this inorning of obtaining a benefit under the Unemployment Act by false representation. He was fined the maximum penalty of £2O. ■Sergeant T. H. Dyer stated that defendant was authorised to supervise jivork done in the district under the No. 0 unemployment scheme, and also to [Certify to the correctness of the wages sheet. He gave his services voluntarily. In consequence of rumours going round Greytbwn, a meeting of the Ahikouka River Board was held on August [4. Heapy at this meeting denied that [there had been any irregularities. He later admitted to three members of the [board, however, that during the week ended August 1 a man named John Charles Hawkes had not worked on the board’s work under the No. 5 scheme, but had worked on his (Heapy’s) farm for four days. Mr. C. C. Mareack, who entered a plea ,£f guilty on behalf of Heapy, stated that tho° case was not of a fraudulent conspiracy to defraud the Unemployment fjoard. Heapy had done a great deal of work on district unemployment relief [Schemes. In convicting Heapy, the magistrate, Mr. J. Miller, observed that a man of his standing should have known better than deliberately to take advantage of his position as he had done. His Worship mentioned that defendant could. have been charged with aiding and abetting in the obtaining of money by false pretences. A similar charge to that laid against Heapy was preferred against Hawkes. He pleaded guilty. Mr. Marsaek stated that the offence was a technical one. Jleapy supervised the work, and Hawkes i had merely done as he was told. A line ■ T 3 was imposed.