Offer of £30 to Obtain State House Made Civil Servant

Grey River Argus, 2 October 1948, Page 8

Offer of £30 to Obtain State House Made Civil Servant

Man Fined £lO

P.A. WELLINGTON, Oct. 1. Graham David Corrin, a metal polisher, agbd'2s, pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to corruptly offering Jack Leopold Gaelic, a civil servant, £3O as an inducement to allot him a State rental house.

Gaelic said that Corrin teleuhoned him on May 6, 1948, and asked him what was the position in regard to his application for a house, and he was informed that there was no prospect for some time. Corrin said that he had been told that there were means of obtaining the keys to a house by making a cash payment to the right quarter, and that he was prepared to pay £3O. Corrin repeated this offer on another occasion. Albert Edward Dawson, assistant branch manager, State Advances Corporation, Wellington, said that he was with Gaelic when Corrin came in on June 17. Corrin then admitted that he had offered £3O. In a statement to Detective Sergeant M. J. Mason, Corrin said that his offer of £3O was a general one. He denied that it was a bribe. The case had been quite clearly proved, said the Magistrate, Mr H. J. Thompson. “It seems to me that this was the action of a naive and simple man, who thought that £3O in the right quarter would produce results. In view of his youth, although the matter is very serious, I will fine him £lO.