R—l [PT. IT].

Pensions Department. Albert Halverson and Elizabeth Halverson, Auckland, two old-age pensioners, by making false declarations regarding Albert Halverson's earnings, each obtained £28 in excess of the amount to which they were by law entitled. They were proceeded against in the Magistrate's Court, Auckland, and fined £20 each. The old-age pension has also been cancelled until such time as the overpayments have been recouped to the State. Helen M. Muncey, Christchurch, by declaring that she had not remarried, collected pension amounting to £4 7s. 6d. to which she was not entitled. In the Magistrate's Court she was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. Restitution has been made. Thomas Richards, New Plymouth, an old-age pensioner, was prosecuted on the grounds that by means of wilfully false statements he obtained a larger pension than that to which he was entitled. He pleaded guilty and was convicted, and the pension payable to him was cancelled. Jane Chirnside, Hastings, was convicted in the Magistrate's Court on a charge of having made a false declaration in connection with her application for renewal of widow's pension. The Magistrate ordered her pension to be cancelled. William Richards, for making a false statement in connection with an economic war pension, was convicted at Gisborne and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, and also to pay the costs of the prosecution (75.). Elizabeth McTigue was convicted at Dunedin and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within two years on a charge of having made a false statement in order to secure a widow's pension. William Scarf, Timaru, for making a false statement in order to secure an old-age pension, was fined by the Stipendiary Magistrate £5 and costs, in default one month's imprisonment with hard labour. Reginald H. Dempsey, Hamilton, when collecting two instalments of his miner's pension made on each occasion a false declaration regarding his employment. He was convicted in the Magistrate's Court, Hamilton, and placed on probation for one year. The amount overpaid to him, £90, is being recovered. William H. V. Bowen, an old-age pensioner, was convicted at the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, on the 24th April, 1925, on two charges of making false declarations with a view to obtaining renewal of pension, and was fined £2 10s. on each charge. The amount overpaid to him, £28 3s. 4d., has been recovered. Herbert B. Culpan, Auckland, was prosecuted under section 20 (d) of the War Pensions Act, 1915, for having made two false declarations to the effect that he was unemployed. He was convicted by the Magistrate and discharged. .Bertram A. Cruller, Auckland, was convicted and discharged on a charge of having made a false statement regarding his earnings when lodging a claim for economic war pension. No loss occurred. Robert C. Clark, an old-age pensioner, Dunedin, sought to obtain, by means of a false statement regarding his income, a pension to which he was not entitled. He appeared before the Magistrate at Dunedin, and was fined £2 with costs 7s. The sum of £37 overpaid is being recovered by instalments. Lincoln R. Roberts, Christchurch, for making a false declaration in connection with an economic war pension, was fined 40s. with costs 7s. No loss occurred. Mary A. Cashmere, Sydenham, by failing to disclose the amount of her earnings, obtained £78 widow's pension to which she was not entitled. She was admitted to probation for three years on condition that the amount of £78 was repaid by instalments of ss. a week. Kate Hughes, in receipt of a widow's pension, by making a false declaration, obtained £80 9s. 2d. to which she was not entitled. She was convicted in the Magistrate's Court at Wellington and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within three years. Arrangements have been made for the recovery of the amount overpaid at the rate of 10s. per week. Post and Telegraph Department. By means of a forged withdrawal slip £4 was withdrawn by telegraph at Awanui from the savings-bank account of a depositor on the 26th April, 1920. The officer who handled the transaction and was a party to the forgery had resigned from the Department and left the Dominion some years ago. The police have been unable to detect the principal culprit, and the Department has decided to restore the amount improperly drawn. The loss will require to be written off by parliamentary authority. F. Milroy, tablet porter, Opapa, was arrested by the police and charged with the theft of £89 10s. 9|d., the property of the Post and Telegraph Department. The deficiency in the accounts at Opapa was disclosed when an audit was made by the departmental Inspector. Milroy was admitted by the Supreme Court to two years' probation. Restitution was made. A sum of £700 was fraudulently withdrawn from a savings-bank account in Auckland, the circumstances indicating that the fraud may have been committed by an ex-officer recently convicted of a similar offence, The police made full inquiries without obtaining sufficient

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