TRUST COMPANY CASE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21470, 11 May 1935, Page 16

TRUST COMPANY CASE

, 4 1 POLITICAL ECHO PREMIER OPPOSING FORMER SUPPORTER (riiOM OU* OWW rOEBESIH'NDEKT.) SYDNEY, May 4. One of the most interesting contests in the New South Wales elections is that at Ashfield, a western suburb, represented in the last Parliament by Mr Milton Jarvie, of the United Australia party. Mr Jarvie, it will be recalled, was trenchantly criticised by Mr Justice Halse Rogers, Royal Commissioner in the trust companies enquiry, for his association with the British Medical Trust, one of the McArthur group. Because of that criticism, the United Australia party in the Ashfield electorate, which is a safe seat for that party, refused to endorse Mr Jarvie. Instead, they chose Mr Athol Richardson, a barrister and a member of the Salvation Army. The United Australia. party is throwing all its weight behind Mr Richardson and is campaigning as strongly against Mr Jarvie, who is standing as an independent United Australia party'candidate, in a fight for his political honour, as if he were the "reddest" of Lang candidates. The big artillery has been fired in the electorate several times, and partisanship is keen among the electors. Mr Jarvie has a big personal following which seems to be remaining loyal to him, and if Mr Richardson wins, it will 'be a triumph for the party machine. It was significant that the Premier (Mr B. S. -B. Stevens) made a speech at Ashfie.ld, as Mr Jarvie had been inferring that Mr Stevens himself had approved Mr Jarvie's association with the McArthur circle. Mr Stevens said it was with great difficulty and reluctance that he visited the electorate. He did not intend to display any vindictive spleen; but he had the responsibility of leadership in days that demanded a certain type of strength in public representation. Recently Mr Jarvie had imputed to him some of the responsibility for his association with McArthur and others. The case rested on certain premises; first, that he (the Premier) had met those people at Norfolk Island, and partaken of their hospitality; and second, that he had invited them to his room at Parliament House and extended hospitality to them. Mr Jarvie had also indicated that, as leader, he (the Premier) did not warn him about «those people. Incident Explained The Premier said that while on a visit to Norfolk Island, he, with others, at the suggestion of the Administrator, looked over McArthur's yacht, which had travelled 6001 miles from New Zealand. It was sought to make capital out of the I fact that he had been photographed on the yacht. On one occasion, when McArthur, Alcorn and Mrs McArthur were at Parliament House listening to the debates, Mr Jarvie informed hirn that there were certain friends of his in the House whom he (the Premier) had met at Norfolk Island. "I said I would be glad to meet them," added the Premier, "and return their hospitality. Mr Jarvie brought them to my room. At that interview, McArthur asked me to open the reconstructed 'Daily Telegraph' building. I subsequently made some enquiries and decided not to open the building." Mr Stevens said that on July 20 he warned Mr Jarvie against McArthur and his associates. Jarvie replied that McArthur had no connexion with the trust company of which he (Jarvie) was a director, and as far as he had found McArthur, everything was above board. The Premier said that he later asked Mr Jarvie to resign his association with the companies, and lie read correspondence which he had written to Mr Jarvie warning him against the companies, and added: "The real question for the electors of Ashfield is not whether Mr Jarvie was warned, advised or counselled, but whether, in fact, he satisfied himself before associating with these men that he was discharging his trust as a public man."