ROAD FOREMAN'S FRAUDS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 75, 24 April 1909, Page 5

ROAD FOREMAN'S FRAUDS

— I A TARAXAKI CASE. . | 111 giving particulars of tlie sentence I imposed on William A. Hansen, on five charge of fa 1-c pretences and forgery at Eltham, the Wellington papers. report tlmt I Sir Wilford.jou lieliilf of the prisoner, stated tliat Hansen had held the position of foreman oil the loads under the Kltham County Cotnieil. The prisoner received money from the Couneil mid'paid it out to certain men. During the time he ha I been living in the district lie hail been helping to support his mother, lie had got .into arrears of the payments he had to make, and started to issue bogus orders for the'paynieiit of men supposed to be employed under him. These sums were retained by him. llr. Wilforil trusted that his Honor would not tak L , into consideration the fact that prisoner was convicted of jobbery, eleven years before, llis friends wished that he should be given an opportunity to go to West Australia. His Honor: There is a charge of forgery an well. It is a bad case, Mr. WilI'ord. The prisoner ivas in a position of trust; he tfas getting a good wage, £3 a week. lie must for some time past have been ■carefully evolving a scheme for defrauding the Council. Had it not been detected, it might have been going oil to this day. He obviously intended to pursue his scheme. He lias not, during the past ten v»ai*. committed any breach of the law.' I should be sorry indeed to suggest that a man who committed an offence many years ago. and received due punishment, should receive a more serious penalty, than was due on account of his previous offence. The offence is not solitary, but una of a series committed by a person in a position of trust, on whose report the County Council necessarily had to act. There were bogus reports, bogus persons, bogus receipts. His Honor then sentenced Hansen to I'wo years' imprisonment with hard labor.