“A ROUNDABOUT ANSWER”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 961, 2 May 1930, Page 11

“A ROUNDABOUT ANSWER”

MR. DAVY REPLIES TO MR. VEITCH MORE QUESTIONS ASKED “Mr. Veitch has gone a round-about way to reply to a direct question that I asked Air. Donald.” said Mr. JL. K. Davy this morning in a statement to The Sun. “The question I asked was: Did Mr. Donald approve of the Government doing big business with a certain motor firm? “In taking up the cudgels on behalf of Mr. Donald. Mr. Veitch said that ‘it had been whispered that Whippet motor-cars to the value of £ 66,000 had been purchased from a firm with which Sir Joseph Ward was associated.* ‘This was Air. Veitch’s peculiar way of answering a direct question. I notice that, in his reply, he did not mention that the firm in question was the agent for Thornycroft trucks as well as for the Whippet products. “The return furnished by him show* that the Government has purchased or placed orders with this firm for 20 Whippet cars, five Whippet vans, one Whippet truck and 15 Thornycroft trucks —quite a formidable list! “I would now ask Air. Veitch one or two direct questions which demand immediate answers: “(1) Was the order mentioned by Mr. Veitch in his return —the order or anv part of it for 26 British bus chassis placed by the Railway Department—given to the Willys Knight Company, or to the Vincent, Ward-L. A. J. Lonergan company? “(2) Has the firm in question don# any business with the Railway Department? _ “(3) What actual amount of business has the firm done with the Government in the last year, and what amount was done in the preceding year? “(4) Will Air. Veitch tell me whether Mr. Vincent Ward is associated with any other firms doing business with the Government? "The facts elicited from my question to Mr. Donald are that the Government lias done big business with the motor firm in question, and that a man holding 37,500 £1 shares in one company is employed by the Government as a civil servant at a salary of £6OO a vear: also that one company at least in which he holds a large number of shares has done big business with the Government.

“Regarding Air. Veitch’s statement that the Stores Control Board was responsible for the purchases in question I challenge this and state definitelv that the order for Thornycroft trucks for the Post and Telegraph Department was decided upon by the then Postmaster-General, the Hon. .T. W. Donald. 1 would further like to mention that the Stores Control Board does not publish tenders.”