Mexborough & Swinton Times, January 10th 1925
Conisbrough Widow’s Struggle.
Relief Fraud: Magistrates’ Sympathy
Hannah Pease, a widow, of Conisbrough, was summoned at Doncaster on Saturday, for obtaining relief from the Doncaster Board of Guardians by false statements. She was stated to have obtained 22s., per week, allowances for herself and her two daughters. She represented the two daughters as being unemployed, when as a matter of fact they had been working at Kilner Brothers’ Conisbrough glass bottle works since February, 1923. The offence had been going on since that time until her relief was stopped in November last.
Mr. W. H. Ayres, relieving officer to the Doncaster Board of Guardians, said the Board were reluctant to press such a case, but it had to be pointed out that in the giving of relief, they had to depend on the statements made by the applicants. He had been to the to the home of the defendant, ad she had told him her daughters were not working.
The Chairman (Mr. M. L. Nokes, of Thurnscoe), commented on the fact that out of the 22s. Allowed her the woman had to pay 7s. 3d. Rent. He could sympathise with her ‘lapse.’
The defendant was deaf and infirm.
The Bench committed defendant to prison for one day, which meant her immediate release.