TIN HARE RACING

Evening Star, Issue 21171, 3 August 1932, Page 7

TIN HARE RACING

NEW SOUTH WALES SCANDAL INQUIRY INTO GRAFT ALLEGATIONS Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, August 2. At the mechanical hare inquiry Gerald Barry, a former hotelkeeper at Goulburn, explained the efforts he had made on behalf of greyhound coursing clubs to have night betting restored in connection with tin hare racing. He had had several interviews with Mr J. Tully, Minister of Lands in the Lang Government. He also had a conversation with Mr J. Munro, who remarked. “ Night betting would have to bo a matter of graft, otherwise the legislation would not go through,” adding that he would have to see Mr Gosling, who was then Chief Secretary. When Mr Tully was told that he could have 4,000 shares in greyhound coursing companies ho replied; “ That will give mo the opportunity of looking after Mr Gosling. You must make the shares out to my nominee, Barry.” He added that he personally was to be paid £2,000. He, however, got only £I,BOO and signed a receipt. Counsel for Mr Tully: You made it plain that it was necessary to bribe certain members of Parliament? Barry; Yes, and I was the person prepared to do the bribing and take the risk. It was perfectly plain to those I met that graft was going on.

Barry explained that the arrangement to pay him £2,000 came from Mr Delbridge, of the Premier’s Office, last March after the tin hare scandals were mentioned in Parliament by the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr B. S. Stevens. He had been treated badly by those whom he sought to assist, and had undertaken to expose the whole outfit by making a statutory declaration and providing documents about what was happening. He told Mr Tully of his intentions, and Mr Tully asked to bo kept out of the disclosures. He duly made the declaration and received £I,BOO from Mr Delbridge for information supplied, and the present Premier (Mr Stevens) thus became possessed of what was going on behind the scenes. Barry also related a meeting with Mr Keighery, who was also trying to get betting on dog racing restored. Mr Keighery on that occasion told witness that he had seen Mr Lang, the ex-Premier, who informed him that the matter should not have been left in the hands of an outsider, meaning Barry, and that the legislation would not go through unless it was left in his (Mr Lang’s) hands.

The further hearing of the case was adjourned.