THE VEND CASE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10258, 9 June 1911, Page 5

THE VEND CASE

CABLE NEWS

United Press Association — By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.

SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE.

PETER BOWLING'S SCHEME

(Received Last Night. 8.35 o'clock.)

SYDNEY, June 8

In the Vend case, Mr Cant, managing director of the Kethel Company, admitted that during the strike an agreement was entered into between the Kethel Company and Mr W. M. Hughes, Attorney-General, Senator Guthrie, and Mr Peter Bowling, relating to the sale of coal at the Young, Wallsend, and Ebbw Main oollieries. Messrs Hughes, Guthrie, and Bowling, in consideration of the payment of £l, were called the purchasers. They were to have the option of disposing of the coal from the said collieries. It was guaranteed in the agreement, that unless by accident, the 01 put was to be at least 2000 tons per day. All money above 9s per ton receive J for the coal was to be divided equally among the Company and the purchasers. The purchasers could have terminated the agreement at any time by giving two days notice, and the Company had the power to terminate when the selling price fell below lis per ton, or it became impossible to sell the coal at a price fixed in the manner provided. The attached agreement was endorsed by Messrs Hughes. Guthrie, and Bowling, assigning their interests in. the agreement to Messrs Daniell Hutton, Albert Burns, and Peter Bowling, the last three undertaking to. acquit and release the first three from all responsibility in relation to the agreement. Witness said that ultimately the Railway Commissioners took possession of all the coal that had been raised, and paid 7s 7d per ton for it. (When in Masterton some monthes ago, Peter Bowling stated that, at the time of the strike, he had endeavoured to get a monopoly of the coal output. )