LOCAL BODY MEMBERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19667, 8 December 1933, Page 16

LOCAL BODY MEMBERS

FORFEITURE OF SEALS WELLINGTON. December 6. Six members of local authorities automatically forfeited their seats during the year on account of being concerned or interested in contracts with the local authorities of which t they were members to an extent in excess of the statutor contractual limits, or on account of their holding an office or place of profit under or in the gift of such local authorities. “In all instances but one the members concerned appear to have acted In ignorance of the law.' states the Controller and Auditor-General in his report on the public accounts, which was presented t the House of Representatives to-da.. In one instance an audit inspector reported that it had bem discovered that a member of two local authorities, of one of which he was also chairman, had been supplying goods to the two bodies and rendering invoices for such goods on the invoice forms jf other firms. Cheques drawn by the local authorities concerned in payment for the goods supplied were traced into either the bank account of the member or into the bank account of one of the firms whose invoices he had used. In some caset the signatures to the vouchers which purported to have been signed by the firms were forged by the member, a d in other cases when the vouchers had been .signed by an employee of the firm concerned the cheques had been credited in the firm's books to the members personal account. The Audit Office took proceedings against the member for the recovery of the four amounts received by him. together with a penalty of £lO In respect of .t'.: invoices and vouchers forged by him. In all. the member was fined £305. In the last year the Audit Office ticulars of which were in every instance placed in the hands of the police. The defaulters wer dealt with by criminal court action, and senten - was imposed total sum Involved in the t tfalcationj amounted to £1915, and the largest official ’as £97i.