SUFFERED HEAVY PERSONAL LOSS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 304, 19 September 1936, Page 12

SUFFERED HEAVY PERSONAL LOSS

4 Mr. Hislop and Democrats — ■ : EX GRATIA PAYMENTS FOR ELECTION DEBTS By Telegraph —Pre«s Association. Auckland, September 18, In evidence taken at Wellington and read in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland to-day in the case in which Baulf is suing officials of the former Democrat Party for wages and expenses allegedly due to him, T. C. A. Hislop, late leader of the party, stated that he knew plaintiff acted as organiser for the party at Auckland, but he knew nothing of the terms of Baulf’s appointment. His own function was to act as leader of the candidates in the field and address meetings throughout the country. He was not a member of the executive. Replying to Mr. Mazengarb, Hislop said that he received a cheque for £3250 or thereabouts made payable to his order. It was handed to him by Davy while on tour. He was to hold that money for general purposes of the party, and he lodged it to the credit of a Hislop trust account. He did not pay the money to the treasurer, as he was expressly asked by Davy to keep it in his own account. The treasurer knew this, and no question was ever raised about it. Witness said that he made many payments out of this account with the concurrence of the chief executive, Davy, and to the knowledge of the treasurer. Prior to the general election day the whole of the money had been applied in accordance with the arrangements made by the chief executive officer. The arrangement . included a personal payment to witness, .the total of this amount being £lOOO. This was paid to protect him to some extent against anticipated financial loss resulting from the six months’ campaign. Actually,- he suffered heavy loss through the campaign. Apart from the money out of the £3250 he had an arrangement with Davy for £lOO monthly for three months to be paid to his office under an arrangement he had made with his partners. Default was made, in the payment of one sum of £lOO and witness paid it to his partners out of his own money. After the election he ascertained that an amount exceeding £l2OO was owing by the party for election expenses to various creditors. . Witness paid purely ex gratia approximately £7OO out of his own moneys since the election toward the payment of election debts. He did this because he did not like people to remain unpaid for services rendered to an organisation with which his name was connected. He was personally the loser of a very considerable sum.