“UNSAVOURY SCANDAL”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 78, 15 March 1935, Page 11

“UNSAVOURY SCANDAL”

Northern Territory Mining MEMBER’S ALLEGATIONS By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyiight CANBERRA, March 14. lu the House or Representatives to-day. Mr Elain, the new member for the Northern Territory, directed the Government's attention to the methods employed by certain mining syndicates operating in the Northern Territory, describing the whole business as an “unsavoury scandal.’’ He particularly referred to the Arnheim Land Co., whose reports were allegedly misleading and incorrect; also to the activities of Mr C, H. Chapman, of Granite Goldfields Ltd., who, he alleged, was a “professional claimjumper. ’’ Mr Blain declared that such rascality was going on among some leaseholders that it would not surprise hitn if it led to violence. There were also grave suspicions of “salting’’ on some leases. Two persons closely associated with the Arnheim Co. had hitherto been associated with political scandals in Sydney. The Government, having granted the leases in the first place, should now institute an immediate inquiry into the whole of the gold mining operations in the Territory, for nobody was making anything out of mining there except “go-getters” and the Sydney Stock Exchange, which appeared to have no morals where their commission was concerned. Mr Paterson, Minister of the Interior, replying, said that the Government was not going to be stampeded into action on the mere allegation of one member. Nevertheless he would do everything possible to protect the investing public. He promised to make