FRAUD ALLEGED

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1934, Page 12

FRAUD ALLEGED

NATIVE UNEMPLOYED

i CERTIFYING OFFICER

CHARGED

(By Telegraph.—Press Awociation.)

GISBOKNE, This Day.

Charles Goldsmith appeared before Mr. E. L. Walton, S.M.,- at the Police Court this morning to answer a number of charges in connection with his duties as certifying officer under the Unemployment Act. The accused, who is manager of the Waiapu Farmers' Cooperative Company, Tikitiki, and was appointed certifying officer for the Native Department under the unemployment relief schemes early in 1932, appeared on 16 charges. Eight charges were of obtaining sums of money from the Government with intent to defraud by means of false pretences, and eight other charges were of making false entries in material particulars in certificates of the completion of work under the Native unemployment scheme.

The Crown Prosecutor (Mr. F. W. Nolan) "had charge of the prosecution, and Mr. A. A. Whitehead appcarea for the accused, while Mr. L, T. Burnard watched proceedings on behalf of the Waiapu Farmers' Co-operative Company.

The Crown Prosecutor, after describing the accused's duties as certifying officer under the Unemployment Act, alleged that the practice followed by the accused was to inflate the cost of a job by the amount of the loan money repayable to the Government by the owner of tho property o,n which the work was to be done. For example, in a job to cost £40, £10 might be loan money. The accused allegedly would inflate the contract, and the balance would be refunded to the Government as repayment of the loan. The refund actually was therefore provided by the Government itself. In some cases,,it would be shown that Native labourers had not been paid cash, but the money allegedly went to the Waiapu Farmers' Company to reduce the labourers' indebtedness. The. case is proceeding,