SERIOUS CHARGES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22340, 27 May 1947, Page 5

SERIOUS CHARGES

LAND SALES CONTROL FAVOURITISM ALLEGED INQUIRY DEMANDED (10 a.m.) SYDNEY, May 27. Sensational counter-allegations against the whole administration of land sales control are made in a letter from the delegate to the Treasurer, Mr. F. A. Lush, to the Prime Minister. Mr. J. B. Chifiey said in Parliament last week that there had been favouritism in some land deals, and announced that “a change had been made in the head of the Sydney Land Sales Control office.” Demanding a full public inquiry “to clear his name of dishonour,” Mr. Lush alleges that certain rulings on property sales have been “peremptorily” countermanded from Canberra, resulting in "gross favouritism” to certain persons, who had received sale consents that were at “grossly excessive” prices. Mr. Lush, who said that he had received no official intimation that he was no longer the Treasurer’s delegate in New South \Vales._alleged that there were pimps in his office, that information had leaked out, and that his private telephone line was tapped. He claimed that since assuming control of the Sydney office of the Land Sales Control Department he had been to work under adverse conditions which were made more onerous by the disloyalty of some of the staff and lack of co-operation by some senior officers. “I would welcome a public inquiry into the administration. of the Sydney office, provided the terms of the inquiry were sufficiently wide to-cover an inquiry into the Canberra office also,” he stated. “I have found there has been a strong tendency on the part of some persons to condemn me without hearing my side of the case. In fact, I have had numerous telephone calls from Canberra which indicated that people unable to influence me to make decisions in their favour had been believed in Canberra when they made accusations against me.”