NIGHT BETTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 182, 3 August 1932, Page 7

NIGHT BETTING.

TIN HARE RACING.

Sensational Evidence of Graft

At Inquiry.

MINISTER'S NAME MENTIONED

(United P.A.—Electric Telegraph-Copyright)

SYDNEY, August 2

Mr. Justice Halse Rogers, the Royal Commissioner appointed by the Stevens Government to investigate the allegations regarding tin hares and fruit machines, resumed the inquiry to-day.

Gerald Barry, formerly a hotelkeeper at Goulburn, related efforts he had made on behalf of greyhound coursing clubs to have night betting restored in tin hare racing. He said he had several interviews with Mr. J. Tully, who was Minister of Lands in the Lang Government.

Witness said he had had a conversation also with Jack Munro, who remarked that night betting would have to he a matter of "graft," otherwise legislation would not go through. Tully said to witness: "If the proposition is put properly I feel sure a bill would go through," He said lie would have to sec Mr. M. Gosling, then Chief Secre-

When Tully was told lie could Lave 4000 shares in greyhound coursing companies, said witness, he replied: "That will give me an opportunity of looking after Gosling. You must make the shares out to my nominee."

Witness stated that he personally was to be paid £2000. However, he got only £ISOO, and signed a receipt.

Counsel for Tully: You made it plain that it was necessary to bribe certain members of Parliament?

Witness: Yes. And I was the person prepared to do the bribing-and take the risk. It was perfectly plain to those I met that "graft" was going on.

Barry explained that the arrangement to pay him £2000 came from Mr. Delbridge, of the Premier's office, last March, after the tin hare scandals had been mentioned in Parliament by the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr. B. S. Stevens. He said he had been treated badly by those whom he had sought to assist, and he had undertaken to expose "the whole outfit" by making a statutory declaration and providing documents about what was happening.

Witness said he told Tully of his intentions and Tully asked to be kept out of the disclosures. He duly made the declaration and reeeived£lßoo from Delbridge "for information supplied," and the present Premier, Mr. Stevens, thus became possessed of what was going on behind the scenes.

Barry also told of a meeting with Mr. Keighery, who also was trying to get dog race betting restored. Keighery, on that occasion, told witness he had seen Mr. Lang, who had informed him that the matter should not have been left in the hands of an outsider, meaning witness, and that legislation would not go through imless it was left in. his (Mr. Lang's) hands.

The hearing was again adjourned,