A DEADLOCK.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5, 3 May 1912, Page 5

A DEADLOCK.

AT NEW SOUTH WALES SUGAR COMMISSION. CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE. Sydney, May 2. A serious situation lias been created .at tiie Sugar Commission. Mr Knox and other directors of the Sugar Co. failed to attend. Mr Kater, chairman of directors, wrote stating that Mi Knox, the manager, knew all that ne and the other directors knew. The directors had decided that he should represent them. Mr Knox wrote a long letter, in «nidi ho declared that as he had not been supplied with a copy of. the evidence, as promised by the commission, he was unable to rebut statements which were untrue. Therefore, he could not submit himself for examination or cross-examination. Mr Justice Gordon, chairman of the committee, declared that he did not know of any right of the company to dictate as to who should give evidence. Dealing with Mr Knox’s letter, he stated that the excuse seemed very like a shuffle. Regarding the statement that the commission had promised to supply a copy of the evidence, he characterised the statement as “a deliberate lie.” Ho had only said that ho would not object to the reporter ■supplying a copy if it did not interfere with his work. The reporter found that it did interfere. He mentioned tiiat the company had two shorthand writers present at all the meetings of the commission. Mr Knox’s excuse was not genuine, and was delivered in covert defiance of the authority of the commission. So far the commission had met with little success so far as any revelations with regard to tire company arc concerned. All the officials of the mills did not know whether the mills were working at a profit or a loss. Muffled secrecy pervaded tee whole arena of the company’s service. Being in the city, he would not take upon himself the responsibility of authorising the prosecution of these gentlemen for not attending hut would leave it to the Federal Government.

The commission has adjourned for a week.