WARNED MR. BELCHER

Chronicle (Levin), 15 December 1948, Page 5

WARNED MR. BELCHER

- (N.Z.P.A.

— Reuter, \

Mr. Hall Says Stanley Tried To Bounce Treasury

Copyriyht)

Received Wednesday, 1!0.20 a.m. LONDON, Dec. 14. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury, William Geofge Glenvil Hall, told the Board of Trade tr'ibunal that he warned the Parliainentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, Mr. Belcher, to "be on his guard with Sidney Stanley. "As far as I knew then, there was nothing very criminal in what Stanley had .tried to do. It was more an attempt to bounce the Treasury." Mr. Hugh Dalton, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said he had met Stanley only four times. On one occasion Stanley had said t'o him, "We would like you to join us in the'' Great Universal Stores now that you are no longer a member of the Government." One of the points that predisposed Stanley in his (Mr. Dalton's) fav-our was Stanley's assistance in the Gravesend and North Croydon foyelections. He had brushed aside the offer that he join the Great Universal Stores. Mr. Dalton said he saw Isaac Wolfson, head of the Great Universal Stores, on April 16. Nothing was said about the possibility of his joining the board cf that organisation. At Wolfson's ofhce regard." He formed the view that regard." He favoured the view that Stanley was in fact a contact man of low repute, and he had no wish to have anything more to do with him. The reason he saw Wolfson was that Stanley had emphasised that Wolfson had built factories in development areas, added Mr. Dalton, and he (Mr. Dalton) was interested in the development areas. To Mr. Justice Lynskey, Mr. Dalton said that neither Stanley nor anyone else had ever approached him in relation to the misuse of his powers as a member of Parliament or a member of the Government. Isaac Wolfson, chairman and managing-director of the Great Universal Stores, said that Stanley was not a contact man for his organisation and denied that the £1600 he paid Stanley for expenses included recompense for Stanley's ! introduction to the Minister of Works (Mr. Key), Mr. Belcher, Mr.' Gibson and Mr. Dalton. Wolfson agreed that he told Mr. Belcher that he was the type of man who would fit into his organisation. j • Wolfson said that Sir Stafford Cripps had asked him to contact •him about matters of major impor-

Mr. F. *S. Montagu, K.C., for W-olfson: So you don't need the Stanleys or Gibsons of this world? Wolfson: No. Wolfson said in reply to Mr. Justice Lynskey that he had no objec- | tion to the tribunal inspecting the | books of his companies. , Mr. Justice Lynskey added that f he would like the Treasury solicitor i to have an opportuniiy of tryingto trace the identity of the person: whose ini'tials, "R.S.S.," appeared i on one of three receipts covering i the payment of £1000 to Stanley! for his services. Wolfson stated that had a cer- j tain store purchase deal gone ; through, he would have been pre- j pared to pay Stanley £35,000. I The tribunal adjoumecT until to- ! morrow. [