Frauds on Public

February 1931

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 27 February 1931

Frauds on Public

Determination to stop frauds on the public was expressed by the Doncaster magistrates on Saturday when six miners were summoned for having obtained relief by false pretences from the Public Assistance Committee for the Don Valley. Imposing a month’s imprisonment in each case, the Chairman (Mr. G. L. Cooke-Yarborough) said they had dealt with a number of similar cases of men defrauding the country.

The’ men deliberately made false statements to the relieving officers. Public money was not to be wasted like that. “We have tried, our best to teach that.” he added “by imposing a penalty of imprisonment in every case but you keep on doing it. If the penalty is not sufficient we shall have to increase it. Each of you will go to prison for a month.

The defendants, and the amounts they were alleged to have obtained by false pretences, were;

William Wren, miner, Denaby, £2 19s in money and a food ticket for 15s;
Joseph Straw, miner, Denaby, £1 cash and a food ticket for 15s;
Thomas Higgins, miner, Denaby. £2 cash and 12s. 6d. food ticket;
William Croft, miner, Conisborough, 17s. 6d cash;
Wilson Heeley, miner, Conisborough, 15s. food ticket;
John Thomas Grainger, miner. Bolton-on-Dearne, 10s. food ticket

In each case the men were stated to have worked while receiving relief and failed to disclose the fact.

George H. Andrews, acting relieving officer, prosecuted in the first five cases and mentioned that all the men were granted relief on various dates on account of sickness. When they reported that they  had resumed work the week previous to the last payment of relief it was ascertained that they had in fact started two or three weeks before.