FINED £100.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1505, 30 July 1912, Page 6

FINED £100.

.i » ; ATTEMPT TO EVADE CUSTOMS ' DUTY. 1 CHARGE AGAINST A SYRIAN. ' (Bj Telenrapn.—Press Association.! Auckland, July 2!). I "A deliberately-thought-out fraud on ' the Customs," was how Mr. Selwyn Mays described the oil'enco of Abraham AVulfson, a young Syrian, ivlio iyas charged at I the Police Court this morning with being knowingly concerned in an attempt to ; evade Customs duty. The circumstances narrated by Mr. Mays were that on Tuesday last AVolfson imported from Sydney a consignment of fountain pens, fancy goods, etc., and de- . clared that he had no invoice showing j any higher value than MQ. The landing , waiter was not satisfied, and eventually ! got from AVolfson a bank draft for goods which amounted to .£124 fis. Cd., and a letter from the consignors (AVolfson's Bros.), stating that an invoice showing ■ the amount of the draft was sent. That invoice was not produced, and defendant stated lie never got it. Counsel suggested ; that it had been deliberately destroyed. ' The invoice produced by defendant in tho first instance ■ showed the goods deliberr ately put down about 50 per cent, in 1 value. In one instance fountain pens . wero put down at 28s a gross, in lieu of ; 28s. a dozen. In the last resort the v Customs examination officer had the goods ' opened and valued. The valuation made I the goods worth <£IGO, and there was in \ the consignment several dozen bottles of ' can do cologne, brilliantine, bay rum, and a lime juice, glycerine mixture which had not been included in the invoice. The Department, on account of the delay of taking the matter to the Supremo Court, had decided not to ask a fine of threo times tho value of the goods (which would amount to .£180), but counsel asked that the full fine indictable under the section of the Act under which the present information was laid (,£100) be imposed. He added that the Department frequently ■ hart considerable trouble with the Syrian ' traders-. ; Mr. Moore, for the defendant (who pleaded "Guilty"), stated that Wolfson had just turned 21 years of age, and was I inexperienced in matters of the kind. He . had recently visited his brother in Sydney, [ and arranged for goods that would sell ' to be shipped to him. The goods were not specified, and consequently defendant did not know exactly what was sent to him. He had incurred a debt of ;£SO to his • brother on the trip, and took it that that ■ amount was included in tho draft on his , bank account. He consequently thought , tho invoice for £7i, with the .£SO added, • represented tho draft. Counsel could only • plead careless negligence in extenuation. , Defendant, however, denied that he had • destroyed any invoice. His AVorship: AVill the goods be for- , feited? . , . . . Mr. Mays: Yes. , Mr. Cutten, S.M./ stated that there was , no extenuating circumstance in the case, ■ except that it was a first iffenco. That , had been met by the Minister not claim- , ing three times the value of tho goods. , Defendant would be convicted and fined • JJIOO. Mr. Mays asked that defendant be dei tamed till the money was paid, and Mr. , Moore intimated that payment would bo , made almost immediately.