PENSIONS FRAUD.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1924, Page 1

PENSIONS FRAUD.

PI.KA Of' CUMTV. [nv TEr.KOBArn —run vnEss association. WKI.I IVCTOX. I'Vh. Id Niciioias Peters, aged 2ii, and his wife, Olive .Mavis Peters, acted I’d. appeared at the .Magistrate's Court today chained oil ten counts ol obtaining ntoney from various post offices by ineans of forced documents .and ol obtaining Clio sterling from the New Zealand OovernmeiH hy means of false documents.

lVters was employed in the Pensions Department .in Wellington as a casual clerk from April tst, 1920. till August dlst, 1028. .lust prior to leaving the Department, he issued five war pension certificates and live agents warrants for hack pay on war pensions. The former represented CoS 10s and the latter Cl3tS IDs. One each of those was sen: to Palmerston

North, New Plymouth. Wanganui and Welle-lev St., and Ponsomby (Auckland). On hi- leaving the Department lie and his wife went to these places, his wife presenting certificates corresponding with the advices sent to the Post Offices, and collecting £l9O at each place. The la-t amount was drawn at Ponsomby cm September oth. and the following day both 101 l for Sydney by the I'limnron. All the advices, ’ pensions, and warrants wore made out to fictitious persons, and were Forged hy the male accused on official forms. The pair were arrested in Melbourne on January 3rd. George Faehe, Commissioner of Pensions, stated that lie knew accused ns a dork in the Pensions Office. He resigned from the Department in August. 1923. For about a year prior to that, accused was receiving £1 12s dd per week. His duty consisted partly or dealing with unclaimed pension advices returned from various paying offices throughout the Dominion, and marking them off in the charge hooks. When there was a rush oi work, he was often engaged in issuing pension certificates and advices to various

oftiees. Wit mss produced tint pensions advice forms i-<>nt;titiiiip; lit-i ilions names ttntl amounts. Tli<> accused was itwaro of the Department's system. nmi knew the forms would not he received hv the Pensions Office for a week or ten days after hoiti.g operated linen 1 1 y the post ottices. Through the tnediinit of the ten advices, the Government hud hoou defrauded of C 970. Detective XttUall said that on .Tannarv 17th. in Melbourne. tie interviewed the two accused, ffoth admitted the offences. Peters admitted that a few days he fore resigning front the department, tie sent, ten advices to various offices, two to each. Pensions certif’ieates and agents’ warrants wore also issued, and pensions were drawn hv his wife. Mis wile had at all times been strongly against the affair, lntt lie had persuaded her to . t -■ j i i t

<r<> through with it, and bad travelled with her. The admission of the of 1 cures by ilit' two accused. and llioir intimation that they would plead guilty, made unnecessary the calling of a number of witnesses from tho five towns in tho North Island and the evidence outlined was all that was called. Roth accused pleaded guilty, and were committed to idle Supremo Court for sentence.