SYDNEY INQUIRY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 127, 31 May 1928, Page 11

SYDNEY INQUIRY

MRS. PITTOCK'S STORY DISPOSAL OF LETTERS ADVICE TO .MALING / polled Press Association—By Electric Tel* graph—CopjTlsbt. ' SYDNEY, 30th May. At the Royal Commission on Civic Affairs, Mrs. Pittock,- further cross/examined by counsel for Arnot, doiiiod that she interviewed Arnot and cx-Al? dorman Green in order to see if they would pay income tax for Mating on the £10,600. After sho hud interviewed Green and Arnot she wrote to Moling suggesting to. him that he Bhonl4 return fyoui New Zealand and face tho 'whole mattor. In reply to Mr. Justice Harvey, who i asked what, had become of certain letters written by Maling while in New Zealand to wdtness, tho latter said that sha thought she must have destroyed them. The Judge then warned her that . false swearing before him rendered her liable: to. live years imprisonment. Mrs. Pit-took) continuing, denied that sho asked Wright, tho municipal garage superintendent, to ask Albert if the latter would advance £2000 to pay the income tax. She also denied th^fc she attempted to blackmail Arnot into paying &2(J00, the, income tax assessed against Maling- ■ ■ , Albert, I'e^exaniinod, said that he received a, x- telephone message from Wright Disking an interview, at which' Wright said: "If someone comes along • and offers you £.2600 V'ill you pay it into the Income Tax Department?" Witness rofused, and asked Wright if it was Mrs. Pittock's suggestion, but Wright refused to tell him, adding that the money would be supplied if Albert would pay it into the Income Tax Department. Witness refused and the 1 matter ended. Wright, in his evidence, said that in an interview with Mrs. Pittock sho asked him if she should see Albert and get) him to pay the income tax, saying that would settle it. Witness replied that it had nothing to do with him, and he did not want to be mixed up in tho matter. Eventually, however, he agreed to sep Albert, but the latter refused to have anything to do with the matter. Mrs. Pittock later told witness that she had seen Arnot •.in reference to the income-tax, but Arnot refused to have anything to do ■with it, stating that his direotors had made the arrangement. Inspector Ma okay, of the Criminal Investigation Department, gave evid^ ence that he saw Maling in. Welling.ton. Maling at first denied receiving money from Babcock and Wilcax, but later admitted that Arnot had told him that £10,600 was offered by Babcock and Wilcox as a presont in connection with their securing the contract, and that Maling should'havo £2000, £7500 to be divided between certain aldermen, the balance being roquired for expenses in bringing tho money from London and for income-tax. Witness then detailed how Maling told of the money coming out through the agency of Albert and through Buckle's account. Witness added that Maling told him that Albert had stuck to over £2000 and that Maling had got nothing out of if-, ' ■ . •■■ ■