Commissioner's Report On Timber Deal

Chronicle (Levin), 25 June 1949, Page 5

Commissioner's Report On Timber Deal

RYDNEY, June 24. The Mirr'Mor of External Territories '(Mr E. J. Wnrd) was completelv exonerated to-dav bv the- roval commissioner (ATr Justice Ligertwoodl of anv part in the New Guinea timber lease deal. The eomm'issioner. who rlescribed the trans-. action as a "bare-faced frand," suggested that a criininal proseeution should be launched anainst Edward Rarrell ■ whom he Aesc.ribed as "the ^frtaSWUWli'Tld 10fi''th,e,MBalV'M • • The Commi ssi dher-' f oun d that Ward was completelv ex6herated and that it was "almost ineonceivable that a Minister could have been a party to an act so obviously illegal and so certain of exposure." « • Tn ref erence to John Smith Garden^. the Commissioner's report sai^: "One can be pardoned for doubting the efiieacv of his work dui'ing the three and a half vears in whj.ch he was engaged in the frsud." The Commissioner said that E. E. Biggs, 'solieitor for Hancock and Gore, the Queensland timber firm, co-operated with the direetors in negotiating the trapsaction with similar knowledge of its impropriety. Hancoc.k and Gore 's direetors with the exeeption of G. R. Croueh and Sir Wil liam Glasgow were induced to enter into a deal bv their greed for timber. The Commissioner classed R. Parer and Hareourt* Garden as "morally censurable" and H. G. Forshaw, logging manager of Haneock and Gore, as hav-

ing "assisted in negotiations -.with a knowledge of the impropriety of the transaction. " Mr Chifley tabled Judge Ligertwood's report' in the House of Representatives to-day, and made a short statement. He said that the findings made it elear that the eharges against Mr Ward were without foundation and that he had therefore asked Mr Ward to resume his ministerial office immediatelv. Mr Chifley added that other matfcers in the report had been referred to the Attorney-General (Dr, Evatt) for advice on future action. The Commissioner found that certain direetors of the timber firm were induced bv their greed for timber and their desire to get into the Bulolo Valfey ahead of their rivals to enter into a secret transaction which, having regard to the position of J. S. Garden as a public servant, was improper. They salved their conseiences with the reflection that they were dealing with a syndicate and Were paying. full Value for the timber, and that the means by ovliich the svndicate became possessed of the grant and what they did with the purchase monej* were no eoncern of cheirs. The Commissioner , said he was conv.inced that on the only occasion upon which Hancock and Gore addressed a letter dii-eet to the Minister, J. S. Garden was able to intercept it. Garden was left in his office Without direet supervision by the M-inister or the direct head of his department, and Garden 's room was available for seeret conferences. between Garden' and Farrell.