BREACH OF REVENUE ACT

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4382, 24 February 1922, Page 1

BREACH OF REVENUE ACT

PLEA OF GUILT L CONVICTION RECORDED. On the information of the Collectoi of Customs Jakob Bertelsen charged With having failed to keep a register of casks, as provided by the Act. Mr Clendon, .on behalf of the defendant, pleaded guilty to the charge. The Collector of Customs said that the information was laid under the Beer Duties Act. In April last the inspector of breweries, Mr Comes, visited the brewery, and after inspection. asked 'for the register of casks. He was told that one was noti kept, and Bertelsen was then warned that this was an important matter and. the book must be kept. The inspector again visited the brewery on Novenir ber 22 and found that there was still no register of the casks. It was veryimportant that this should be kept up to date, as in the event of fraud it was impossible to trace it home. Bertelsen in his own interest 1 should see to it that the register was properly kept. There was no doubt that Bertelsen was warned by the inspect tor, and there had been a deliberate attempt to evade the law. The general penalty was £2O under the Act, and the department pressed for a heavy fine. / Mr Clendon said that Mr Bertelsen had been a brewer for five years, and during that time he had a good record. The defendant was not an educated man, and it appeared that he was the victim of the neglect of his clerk, who was instructed to keep the necessary record. There was sb little beer disposed of in casks that it seemed hardly necessary to go to the bother of keeping a record. After the second visit of tjhe inspector, however, a register had been kept, and dated from November 23,' and was installed hy the local officer, Mr McDougall. Defendant was a first offender, and freely admitted . that there had been no book kept, but simply a rough record. The Magistrate said that any breach of the Revenue Act was a serious matter. As this was a first of-, fence he would impose a fine of £2 and costs £lO 10s Bd, in default one month in Auckland gaol.