FURTHER DETAILS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 141, 11 December 1918, Page 7

FURTHER DETAILS

ADVICE DISREGARDED

MR. JENSEN REFUSES to RESIGN.

(Received December 11, 12 noon.)

MELBOURNE, This Day. The report shows that the Shaw wire--less works were purchased for £55,000, though some valuations obtained placed the value considerably below this figure, owing to the works including much obsolete and other material useless to the Navy. The Commission finds that Mr. Jensen disregarded the advice of Reav-Admiral Clarkson, the engineering, expert, and took the advice of an inexperienced subordinate officer; that the valuation paid no consideration to the utility of the plant to the Department ; that certain facts were not placed beforel*,Cabinet; and that the works were purchased at a price much in excess of their value.

Regarding the purchase of the steamei's for £4500 and £7500 respectively, the report states that after purchase they were foUnd to be quite unsuitable for the purposes they were intended for, and they had to be used for other purposes. Tenders Were invited for the purchase of higher-priced vessels and brought offers of. £1000 and £305.

Mr. Jensen, in a statement to the House, contended that the Commission's findings Were not in accordance with evidence, and that he had been attacked by the Commission for carrying out the policy of the Government, and therefore refusing to be tied down by the Naval Board. The Ministry had asked for his resignation, but they would not get-it. He feared nobody and had'done nothing wrong. ' Senator Long, who, according to the report', admitted receiving £1290 from Father Shaw as a gratuity in. view of their, friendship, obtained permission to make a statement in the Senate later.