Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1595190

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MILITARY FRAUDS ALLEGED.

.HUGE SUMS INVOLVED. OFFICER SENT FOR TRIAI.

SYDN1 Y, Mondnv -The healing was commenced lo day at the Ccnlril Police Court, before Mr laovc S Al of the case of Lieutenant ])n\iil Cliyton Howell Price who was charged with having uttered cor tain forged documents with intent to de fraud ihcie wetc nine charges against nccused in relation lo offonecs alleged to hnvo been committed on \nrious dates be tween Decembei 1D15 mid January 1017 Two only were proceded with, however These roi ited to the alleged uttering in January, 1017 of two choques, one for £1,001 and tho other for £1 000 Mr b h Mnnning (instructed by tlie Commonweilth Crown Law authorities) appeared to |Trose cute Aecutcd was represented by Mi >I W Abigail

In outlining the charges, Mr Minning said tint the facts disclosed ccitain exton sivo frauds by which tho Government was defrauded of considerable sums of money Tile two cheques to which the present ihoi-ges referred weie, in proportion to Hie aggregate misappropriations, comparatively small It was probibly due to the sim phcity adopted, Mi Manning proceeded, that the depirtmcnt was for tin. tune being put off its guard and the frauds mide pos Bible In tlie piesent cose i claim had been mudo for payment to members of the 0th leight Horse Regiment of which licensed was found H ndjutint for service fiom -sovembcr 1911, to Tnnuirv 1016 Ac cusoil h duties us adjutant included the ob

taming of payment tor the members of his | ti oops mil the distribution of the amounts so iceeivcd ainnngst thom lo obtain the money he had first to piepaie n camp pay list containing the names of all the mem bera of the tioop together with their rink and the amount to which thev wpio en tilled This aftei being signed by the adjutant and the commanding olhccr was supposed to be sent in lo the department in duplicate and if con cet the diiphc ile was, returned to the adjutant togclllci with n cheque for the total amount On tins duplicate each member of the troop vv tis c\ pecteu to sign his name opposite the amount received by him A second document 1 now n as ii salaiv sheet w is pi ep n ed by the department It eontuned t biimmaiy of tho liitoiinntion in the piy list and it also had to ho signed by both the othtei corn innnding and the adjutant In this eise il would be shown that the amount was paid into the bimi to the ciedit of the troop Accused on '»eptcmbci ."i wrote to Ciplnin l'rrdhim olhccr eomminding the 0th light Hoi-he enclosing two cheques foi Ins signa tute Captan Piidluims suspicions v>cie (?roused bet mse the piv was m lespect of services said to have been leridereil two years before He wrote pointing out the length of time Hi it had elapsed and asking why the money had not been paul before Some time Inter however the cheques who piebcnted at the Comnionweilth iiink by incused with whit pin polled lo be Captain Piidhanis signature but which wis lenllv a folgetv attached to thom A number of the pay lists weic found m accused s room when lie wis nii<-tccl They should have coutume 1 the signatures of the mon vv bo had iceeivcd the money anil hld been sent bick lo the deputment and the fact that thev toni lined no acquittances pioved that Hu money had not boen pud

Che dcpnitmontnl method of deibng with Ply sheets lol mobilised ti oops wits di tailed hy Lieutenant John J homos clerk m thaige of Hie iMimmng depiitment in the pay bunch Hie pay sheets found in n<

euscd s loom ho pioeceelod ilcill willi amounts iceeivcd from the dcpaitment totalling C70 245/1/10 and of that amount acqiiitlupc.es for ¿)3!2/0/j onlv had been bigncd

Replying lo Mr Abigul witness sud Hint Hie pay office would hive to be sutihhod that the money wuspiopirly payable beioie authorising the ls-iiie of cheques tovcune,

the amount

Mr \bignl -I el us sec bow perfect your depiiilment wis 'Von have admitted tint vom people should hine seen the mobihsu tuan tarders

Witne-s-\es

Without seeing them mil compiling Hiern with these sheets vom department e mid nul propcily ceitily them ita. being coriect

-á\o

So that youi depirtmcnt Ins been very negligent'-Thcic w ts certainly uecjigcnec, on the oMiinincr. ] ill

I Mi Love -li" t is onlv an opimort

'Mi Abigail- it is the opinion of an ofii

dal of the depiitment J he fact is Hie tkpni tmcnl has cn tided to Hie c\pcndituro ol J..OOO0 to which it should not have cot titled

?\\ itnOss - The o immer ovvin- to Hie high | osition occupied bv the uceii ed tool

his word foi it

Mi Wilgul lor everything' Witness - vppnienth yei

Is it not i fact that in i re eui munni it was dmiovcicd Hut i ¡minaste! lui I 10 001 boveieigns in Ins nfc anil could not sny where tiny eurie from -I bivi bend e>

I hat pavmiibtei wis alisinibsul -No

\\ hut I-Not vit (I ui(,htoi ) I tutlibcit 1 iciiilin teinpoi ny ilerl in the Defence dcpaitment mid tint the lists fiom whuh pay «betts in quistion wne |ie p lreet had been handed to linn cithei bv the

ice used or Ins ordcilv

Waltei I Ici bert I'liifhum i gn/iei ofhicr lominiinditig the lili i ulit IIoihl Hrt"tdi Rcgiinint sime AIuv 11)11! pud that the signatiiii n sembid his sirnlime hut hid not been w i itten bv lum None of the sigan tin es on tin. liny ablets were his nnd lu hid not Mgned any at unv lum As ofheit loin niiiiiding the leymmt on '»eptcmboi JO hist two chlone», one foi Li COI 7/ mil on. foi C1 000 win i-ent to lum by iiciimiI who in an aiconipanying lette i usl ed th it they be Billilli and leturned to linn \\ itmss le plied that the »mounts w ore mi v 1 n gi md without doubling then coriectniss li. would like fuither paiticulars Tie leeeivcd a long letter fiom unused m which he csiycd to cv.pl mi the mnltei Subsequently lutncss saw Unwell Pi ne it hendqii irtcrs and told lum that ho did no1 feil sitisficd al out tin two iheques paiticularh willi lecaid to D' squidion, Dunedoo 1 hi ti oops hld nivel bein foimed oi mobilised Aiinsod at tempted to explain but witness sud lint be w us still no1 satisfied ind asked foi the piodmtion of the pin sheet, lliese how cvei were not ivailable mid witness then nul ed foi and wau shown the nshbook mil entnes winch appctiied to be .orie.t with the exception of two about which lu w is luquiutig The money iceuscd f. ml should havi been paul into the icgimenti! ircount

mid the men loul.l not get their piv until the chenues wen signed fitness« i.plv was, They have xvaitid two yens ki ii won t hint them to wait a little Innen

At fuilbcr interviews witness insisted on ii audit of the regimental books being mule and aeniHcd saul, It looks ns if von mis pelt mi ' An amount of £20 nppcirung nn the piv sheet produced ngoinst witnisss mini bid never been icreived by lum

Chnilcs 1'aiil Aldridge, paying tell, r it the Common« eilth Bank lund ofhee iden! died cheques piodueed as two ho had ioc.ivid I ho first for _l,0i0 wis piesentcd hv 1 leutenant Howell Price on Dcccnibci 21

1010 ind the second foi C1 000 on liiiimrv 2, 1017 1 n both cases the accused h id re ccived the money

John 'J bomas Pnlinson detective Mid that on Tanunry 23 1017 he tool accir-cd to the Sydnov Safe Deposit, und there with accused s 1 ey opened a Rife m the nintr chnmbci of winch weie found six Govi in mont Savings Bank books, windi unused admitted were his 'Huco of the accounts were in Ins correit name, and the otlurs in the mmes of Chnilcs Liyton, Chulos Clayton, nnd Charlea Pine There was nlso in the safe a quantity of seiip m the Menangle Racing Club the A'ictoiia Park Racing Club, and the 1 Haw an a Coll Co receipts and insurance policies for a mun her of racehorse» a cheque bool issued hv the Bank of Australasia mid £1 I'M/0/ m gold, notes, and silvei Witness chscoieied that the account in the Bank of Aiistiiilnsia stood in the name of Alfred David Darling, and accused idmitted that it was his

Cross examined by Mr Abigul witness said that aeciifced bad put every obstarle in the way of Ibe detectives J ho senp in tile racing clubs was m accused s o« n n uno and that in the coke company in the niwnc of his brother in la«, fiom whom he had purchased it Witness could, not say «he thcr the money found on accused when anoBtcd had been won nt the rices

Mr Abigail -You know that accused lind been indulging in racing foi two yeuis pist and that he owns ponies'

Witness-Yes T believe that he is a heavy bettor but I don't know w hithci ho

has been a winnci or no1

Don t you know flint on one diy he won 1 "WO nt pony rmcb'-1 do not know Uni

lieutenant Murriy said in r. piv lo Mi Ahignil. that ii was the dutv of the piv nu oflicer to sic tint th. acquitted p iy hhorts were rilurncd to the dopailment Dining the period undi i rev hw that ofhic lind been held hy se», on diftci ent men

Mr Abigail-A.iid all those gentlemen should bnxe seen from time to time tint the camp piy sheets were returned with the men's ncqmtl inccs on them ' Witness -Yes

Yet no action yvns taken'-Ares action

was taken but ceitam toriespondence got j into the bands of accused, and w is

stopped

Questioned as to the number of audits

that had taken place, witness said that he| could only recollect one-in. February, ISIS

The auditor'», duty wus to sec the adjutant's ' receipt for money on the B.ilnry sheet, and the acquitted pay sheets were supposed to go to Melbourne Accused's wold lind been taken on many occasions, becnusc of Ins oflnc .is A A G , wini h. was one of the most responsible positions in the department. Towaids the end of 1010, however, several

letleis were sent to hicutcnnnt Unwell Pi ice, calling atf dillon lo the fact that cer- tain iinnequitlcd pay sheels had not been lcceivcd, nnd must be forwarded for trans mission to the Melbourne ofhce. Accused was dihctinrged last year from the A.I.I'' as medically unfit, but he was still recognised as adjutant of the legunent, although it wns known Unit he was not receiving nny pnvinmt for doing the work

This closed the Crown case

Accused, who icseived Ins defence, waa committed foi trail on both charges

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