SYDNEY BRIBES

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 May 1928, Page 5

SYDNEY BRIBES

MALING’S WOMAN FRIEND

TELLS HER STORY

(Australian Press Association.) (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

SYDNEY, May 29

At. the Royal Commission inquiring into civic affairs, in reply to a question pnl by counsel for Albert, Silas Maling said-that it was only after his return from New Zealand that he fixed the amount of money left with Albert at z£loo. Before that, while in New Zealand, he had told Police Inspector Mackay that Albert had £2600 of the £10,600. > In reply to further questions. Maling said that lie did not tell Inspector Mackay the real facts in New Zealand, as he was trying to protect himself, pending seeing his solicitor, and he also had it in mind that lie (Mackay) might make public the facts of the tender transaction.

Mrs. Pittock said that while in Wellington, Maling received a letter from Albert, in which he said “that Maling had used him. and that the writer had been an old fool." Witness then told of the interview which she had with Arnot in Sydney, when she asked Arnot to pay the income tax on £10,600, for which Maling had received an assessment. ’ Arnot said: “It strikes me that Maling is in the soup.” Witness had replied: “Yes. And you are in the soup too, Arnot!” Arnot then said: “I wish I had handled the transaction myself. It would have been cheaper. In the first place I gave Maling a substantial sum to handle the transaction, and now he has gone and mucked the whole thing up! Why does not Maling pay the money?” Witness to this had replied that Maling was not going to pay the money, and Arnot replied that he had nothing to fear, as he had handed the matter over to his directors to deal with.

in reply to a question by Mr. Shand as to whether attempts had been made to book passages for herself and Maling to America, or England, from New Zealand, witness said that Maling had made inquiries, but he could not get berths on board the Tahiti. This was six weeks before lie left New Zealand.

In reply to Mr. Shand (counsel for City Commissioners), Mrs. Pittock said that after her return from New Zealand, she interviewed ex-Alderman Greenland told him that the money transaction between himself and Mating had somehow become known, and that there was trouble about it. Aiderman Green appeared greatly alarmed, and said that he would make inquiries, and see if he could find out anything. Aiderman Green had later suggested that the best thing he (Maling) could do was to deny the whole matter.