Department Loses Through Theft

Chronicle (Levin), 17 August 1949, Page 3

Department Loses Through Theft

WELLINGTON, August 16.' i Misappropriatioiis of ?public moneys and stores by depa^tmental pfficers tn-i volved £8686, stated the repbft.'df thej Oontroller and AudlfohGeneral,' Air :>J,' ,P. Rutherford, in. his repor t 'for tlie finaneial year 194S-.49 presented to'.' the House of Representatives today.-, ' : i The largest jnisappropriatiou was'one of £6329 by a cashiei" of ,' the Soeia) Sev eurity Department, Auckland, wlio lian£ dled very large surns. , ... • Where a department was haudling" an iminense number of transactions, stated the report, it was extremely di f ?• ficult to ke^p ehecks so up-to-date and efficient that a defauiter couid not escape detection for a time. Another considerable theft was £993 by a senior elerk in the Works Departmnt, .who falsified wage-sheets and in collusion with two. contractors, prepared and caused to be paid fictitious claims for iorry-hire. All the oifendera were eonvieted. A public serviee eommission of inquiry found that the officers who passed the claims for payment failed in their duty to see that departmental instructions relating to payments were observed. Tliey were suitably disciplined. A cashier in the Land and inconit Tax Department misappropriated £869, most of it by suppressing copies of receipted demands. A postmistress in a small office con verted moneys to her own use and falsified her returns. Altogether there were 59 cases of irregularities where departmental officers were involved and 37 cases other than those in whieh departmental officers were involved, 2S of the latter type concerning the Social Security Department from whoui various benefits were obtained by fraud: Convietions were obtained in 22 cases, one was adjourned sine die but a restitution order and five prosecutions were pending. Gaol sentences were imposed in five cases and restitution ordered in 12. Probation was given in five cases. The total of the sums involved was approximately £2590. Among the various State Departments the sum of £43,384 had been allowed as paid in cases where receipts were unobtainable, lost, destroyed or vouchers or warrants lost.