N.S.W. PETROL SCANDAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 10, 14 April 1916, Page 5

N.S.W. PETROL SCANDAL.

MR. GRIFFITH MAKES STRONG | DENIAL. * #■■■■£ (CwtTED PbIBS H WJOOlatiow.]fa»b| Sydney t April 'l3. Mr Griffith gaye further evidence, and said he understood that no charge had been made against any Minister' other than : himself. ■ In reply to a question, he denied, the imputation that-Ministers got anything out of the JNo'ion-Gritfith'S; loan.. It was simply, a piece of,, political ' scandal. \ Pyej- gjiflV'i ] cpnfcras | he had been been the trail of these poisonous sug- - W# 1 *'- ;rU •' - S *v ; • •Mr r €Hrlffitft' similU'rlf denied 6r : his r ' Colleague's''' ! had'Safsed'' .improper means to influence the Trades" iSali'ui connection with any schemes, or that afty attempt had 'been made to bribe members of Parliament. Mr Griffith- asked the Commissioner* to take steps to clear him of, all these side charges, as well as the main.* charges. His..reputation was involved, and unless they were refuted ' they would be used for political purposes. Cross-examined, Mr .Griffith sajd that if there had been a charge, openly made, of brokerage, and not a seereV commission, he would have treated it as a comic operas and not withdrawn; from his parliamentary' duties He." declared tfiaV Re*d»s Wttltementf tfhi&, he (Griffith)-had' : sa'id : that Morgan would want brokerage was incorrect. He Had idea that Mor■sin i-ould- be ■ tlliming brokerage, as lit would have been ni(»i;B*fA|fc(iper. ■..

..MR GRIFFITHS ON-JHUL BOX. (Received 8.5 a.m.) Mr Griffiths, Jn.his, evidencs,#a& that Reed made a mistake in. saying that Griffiths warned him to be careful against "graft." He warned him tf keep everything in writing so that it an allegation of corruption was majjej as was the case'in "other big deals, he would be in a position to meet them. He knew he would meet with opposition from the oil companies. * 5 A letter was read from Wagstaffe to his London directors, wherein it ap* ' peared that Wagstaffe sought permission t'o get other oil companies to work with him in trying to prevent the aftop- * tion of the Government scheme. Air. Griffiths' comment on this was: "i think this particular company will *ay and dp everything to save their business or their billets." Asked that if the vendors had .paid . Morgan and relieved the Government of the price of his services, would he have objected ? Mr Griffiths . repbed: "Certainly, I would have regarded it as blackmail and have struck it out." ;