FALSE ACCOUNTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 July 1939, Page 9

FALSE ACCOUNTS

TWO AUCTIONEERS FOUND GUILTY.

REMANDED FOR SENTENCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) PALMERSTON N., July 21. In the Supreme Court John Richards and Arthur Haines, auctioneers, Palmerston North, were found guilty on six charges of rendering false account sales and one charge of fraudulently omitting to account for part of the proceeds of the sale of fruit, thereby committing theft. They were found not guilty on the remaining 11 charges of a similar nature. Richard is company manager of the Dominion Auctioneering Co., Palmerston North, and a licensed auctioneer. Haines is an employee of the firm and also a licensed seller. In March certain fruitgrowers in Hastings complained to the police that the Dominion Auctioneering Co. was advising them that their fruit brought a lower price in the firm’s mart than it had actually done. As a result of these complaints certain of the growers and a detective attended the mart during the fruit sales and took notes of the prices the produce brought. On arrival home they made comparisons with the prices on the advice notes and found, according to witnesses, lower ones quoted. The police then visited the firm's offices and took charge of certain books and files in order to conduct an investigation, the result of which, according to the police evidence, showed that it was a general practice in advising clients of the result of the sales of produce to underquote the selling price. Both accused were remanded for sentence.