SENSATION IN SYDNEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 771, 18 September 1929, Page 9

SENSATION IN SYDNEY

lARVIE DEFENDS HONOUR AND RESIGNS IMPASSIONED ADDRESS Reed. 9.20 a.m. SYDNEY, Today. j The resignation of Major Milton L. [ F. Jarvie, Nationalist member for j Ashfield, after an impassioned ad- ! dress in the defence of his honour, j occupying two hours, caused a sensa- j tion in the State Legislative Assembly j last night. Major Jarvie later announced his in- ( tention to stand for re-election. He will be opposed by a Labour candidate,. Mr. E. L. McTiernau, who was Attorney-General in the Lang Government. Major Jarvie was concerned in recent bus bribery scandals. Craving leave of the House, he dramatically opened his address, declaring that the findings against him were based on deliberately perjured evidence. Mr. Justice Davidson had been deliberately misled. “I have been the victim of a cleverly-conducted conspiracy,” he said, “and I say before you and before my God that I am absolutely innocent of conspiracy.” There was general uproar when he formally tendered his resignation and left the Chamber. It had been previously reported that the Premier of New South Wales, Mr. T. R. Bavin, was going to approach Major Jarvie to ask him to resign. Mr. Justice Davidson was chairman of the Royal Commission which investigated the scandal, which concerned an attempt to bribe the late Chief Secretary, Mr. A. Bruntnell, allegedly about a bus route. The allegation was that Major Jarvie left a case of pipes and two £IOO notes on Mr. Bruntnell’s table, on behalf of a bus proprietor named Fitzgibbons.