LOBBYING INQUIRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 186, 8 August 1935, Page 7

LOBBYING INQUIRY.

Powerful Concerns Fight New Roosevelt Bill. REGULATING UTILITIES. (Received 2 p.m.) WASHINGTON, August 7. Patrick Hurley, former Secretary of War, after alleging persecution because he was a Republican, reluctantly admitted before the Senate Lobby Committee that he had received 100,000 dollars in the last three years from Associated Gas. He insisted, despite insinuations to the contrary by committeemen, that this was compensation given for advice, not for lobbying. Another witness, Joseph Tumulty, former secretary to President Wilson, admitted that Utilities, Limited, had paid fees totalling 109,700 dollars, of which 350,000 was recompense for advice in fighting President Roosevelt's Utility Regulatory measure. The members of the Lobbying Investigation Committee started a farcical man hunt in the capital's leading hotele yesterday, and lack of success only added to their chagrin. The quarry was Mr. Howard Hopson, the directing genius of the powerful associated gas and electric system, who has been sought since July 14 as a witness in connection with the committee s investigations of the charges that power interests spent millions of dollars to defeat the President's Utility Regulatory Bill. Mr. Hopson disappeared from his usual haunts. The committee learned yesterday from Mr. B. Robinson, Mr. Hopson's subordinate, who appeared as a witness, that Mr. Hopson spent Monday night here. The committee iramcdiately ordered scores of subpoena servers and policemen to search the hotels.

Later, on being informed that the quest, had proved fruitless, the committee disgustedly adjourned its sitting.