SUSTENANCE FRAUDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1938, Page 8

SUSTENANCE FRAUDS

SUM OF NEARLY £20,000 INVOLVED EXCESS RELIEF OBTAINED (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Sustenance frauds involved the sum of £19,778 Is 8d during the year ended March 31 last, according to the report of the Controller and Auditor-General. Mr J. H. Fowler, which was tabled in the House of .Rerpesentatives yesterday. “I must again draw attention," the Auditor-General states, “to the many instances where relief recipients have secured excess relief from the moneys of the Employment Promotion Fund. During the year no fewer than 3257 relief recipients (an increase of 1296 over the number recorded in the previous year) fraudulently received relief to which they were not entitled, and the majority of these irregular payments were obtained as a result of false statements.” A table in the report shows that proceedings were instituted in 694 cases involving £12,368 15s 6d. Of these, 637 convictions were entered and fines totalling £7423 2s 3d were inflicted, with costs amounting to £364 16s, and restitution of £ll3l 10s 4d was ordered by the court. Effective action is being taken to recover from 2551 cases involving the sum of £6955 15s 2d, of which a substantial reduction has already been achieved.