A CURIOUS STORY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 302, 17 December 1908, Page 2

A CURIOUS STORY.

AN OLD MAN AND HIS PENSION. ALLEGATIONS AGAINST A SOLICITOR. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Wednesday. A curious story was told by an old man to the Trustees of the Benevolent Institution last week—that lie liad left his old age pension with a firm of solicitors as security for a loan of £1 upon which lie was paying 5s a month interest. The matter was referred to at the meeting of the Trustees this afternoon.

The Chairman (Rev. W. A. Evans) explained that the Board had no interest iu the matter except that as the old man was an applicant for ad-

mission to the Ohiro Dome and an old age pensioner, il was necessary for the Trustees to know where the pension was. The secretary (Mr. A. 11. Truebridge) had made inquiries into the matter and had reported. .Mr. Truebridge read the following report: •'The applicant states that he made a, mistake in saying that he borrowed the money from in June. He did not understand all the chairman's question aad got muddled over the, months. He says, "Of course, I could not have had it in Jime b'ccausj 1 hadn't come up from Christcli.urch then." By reckoning back he says the occasion of the first loan he got was in October. Jlo got 15s anil agreed to pay back £\. lie left his pension certificate with the lawyers on November 1. He went to the lawyers' oilice to get his certilieatc in order to draw bis

pension, The certilieatc was handed to him and a clerk from the lawyers' oilice accompanied him to the pay oilice and waited outside while lie w'ent in and got the money. On coining out "'.. gave the clerk the £1 and put bis certificate in his pocket. Jn November he was out of funds again and repaii'-d Ito Mr -—, who "lent him 255, retainI ing his certificate. On December 1 Vi same procedure ■ was followed as on the previous occasion, a clerk accompanying him to whom he paid .'Us on coming out of the pay oilice. .Since the pavment of 31s and the cost of a little food exhausted the ,C2 Us -Id of the pension he had recourse to Mr again early in the present month, bonowb" £\, for which be agreed to pay Ss interest' his pension cerlilicate being lodged, as before, with Mr , in whose hands it now is."

-Mr Trucbridge said he had been tpplicd to by a clerk from the solicitors r;i question for permission to attend the Board's meeting and make a statement. This was referred to the Board and was acquiesced ill.

The head of the firm of lawyers mentioned attended and gave 1171 absolute denial to the statement of the old age pensioner. No money, he said, had been lent to the old man on his pension, hut money in small sums had bee-.i lent to him by two of the solicitor!' clerks and a third party, who was 11 outsider. The clerks had made 7s by interest. It was their own all'air and nothing whatever to do with the linn The clerks were advised to give up the pension at once, drawing only the l.'is that was owing, without charging interest. The transaction never appeared in llic firm's books and the linn knownothing whatever about it. The clerks could explain it all to (he Hoard. On of them was at W'anganui attending the boat race, but the 'oilier was in nltendance, if the Trustees eared to interrog ate him.

This the Chairman ruled to he unnecessary, the matter being belwe n the master of (he Ohiro Home and the old age pensioner.