BRIBERY CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 140, 15 June 1928, Page 9

BRIBERY CHARGES

THE AUSTRALIAN iNQUIRY MR. THEODORE'S ATTITUDE United Press Association—By Electric TeleBraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, 14th June. ' Before the Royal Commission inquiring into Mr. W. H. Lambert's bribery charges, Mr. Lambert was cross-examin-ed by counsel for Mr. Theodore, and said that as far as he knew Mr. Theodore had never been identified with any nffor to witness, except on tho word of Mahonoy. In reply to further questions, tho witness said that when' he made his statement he was acting under a sense of injustice because ho had been jostled out of his West Sydney seat. Sydney Bird, secretary of the Australian Labour Party, recalled, said that when Mahoney tendered his resignation he was called into the room where the Australian Labour Party executive was sitting, and then wrote out his unconditional resignation. No mention was made of Theodore. Mahoney, recalled, said that £1250 of the Mahoney testimonial was his own. Hp put it in as the testimonial was hanging fire, and he did not want to ond his career with failure. Mr Theodore announced that, acting on counsel's advice, he had decided not to answer any questions in public as to Ms private affairs, but would answer any question in camera as to private affairs or any other matter. In reply to a question, he said he would swear that none of Mb financial transactions had anything to do with Mahoney or with tho purchase of any Parliamentary scat. Tho only financial transactions werp £5 he gavo to tho Mahoney testimonial fund and £200 he gave to Mahoney for the same purpose. Wit: ness added that beyond that statement he would answer no questions in public. Further recalled, Mahoney said that there had never been any agrcomont of any kind botween himself and Mr. Theodore on the question of the former resigning, and witness had never approached Lambert on the question of the latter resigning in favour of Mr. Theodore.