MR LANG CRITICISED

Evening Star, Issue 21036, 25 February 1932, Page 9

MR LANG CRITICISED

[TIM HARE RACING AND CORRUPTION SITTER ATTACK BY MR STEVENS J*tess Association —By Telegraph Copyright. SYDNEY, February 24. The Premier (Mr J. T. Lang) came in for severe criticism in the Legislative Assembly to-day when Mr Ltevens '(the Deputy-leader of the Opposition), in the absence of Mr Bavin through illhealtb, described the Premier s speech yesterday aa more or less in the nature of political \howmanship. the 1 render's only stock-in-trade was the widow, the orphan, and the workless, but the fact remained that while the Government found little time to deal .with the main problems of the day namely, the financial drift, vast unemployment, industrial turmoil, and poverty—it was very much concerned about restoring licenses to tin hare companies, which were likely to earn prodigious profits and smelt to heaven of political trickery and corruption. The public was entitled to know why the Premier had suddenly taken an intimate interest in this tin hare business. It was common knowledge that Judge Swindell, an American importation, had easy access to the Premier’s department. A section of the Press had alleged that 20,000 shares in two tin hare companies had already I- cn contributed to the Labour Party’s funds, and that further favours were being bestowed as the result of intervention by Judge Swindell, who seemed to have remarkable influence upon the Premier. The whole thing reeked with suspicion. Why did not the Premier see fit to defend his honour and the honour of his Government, this Government which prated so much about the poor and needy? Mr Stevens challenged the Premier to Sue the newspapers which were_ responsible for the charges of corruption. MR LANG TO MR LYONS ' SYDNEY, February 25. (Received February 25, .at 10 a.m.) Mr Lang despatched another telegram to Mr Lyons relating to the payment of New South Wales interest overseas. The Premier alleged in the telegram that it was necessary to exercise caution when dealing with the Prime Minister. Mr Lang further alleged that the latest reasons given by Mr Lyons for refusing to consider the request of New South Wales for Treasury bills for £500,000 were not those stated by the Assistant Treasurer (Mr Bruce), in enunciating the Commonwealth’s policy v hen dealing with the requests of Western Australia and Tasmania for accommodation.