NEW GOVERNOR

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1933, Page 5

NEW GOVERNOR

TASMANIAN 'APPOINTMENT

(United Press .Association —By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright)

(Received April 13 at 8,5 a.m.) LONDON, April 12. Sir Ernest Clark has been appointed Governor of Tasmania.

Two Reel soldiers with fixed bayonets guarded the dock, and a dozen soldiers stood on the, platform. Nine lawyers sat together. 'The public rose as the judges, who were ordinary army men dressed in mufti, entered the court.

The Foreign Office issued a long summary indictment against the Vickers British and Russian employees charging them with counter-revolu-tionary activities, damaging plant in order to undermine Soviet industry, and weaken the l Soviet state collecting; utilising secret information of military and state importance, bribing employees of State electricity stations in connection with their country, and revolutionary wrecking activities. An expert commission was appointed to studv the documents.

It w. 13 reported that the breakdowns were due to criminal neglect, or deliberate wrecking.

MACDONALD ADMITS CHARGES.

OTHERS PLEAD NOT GUILTY,

(Received April 12 at 8.55 a.m.) * MOSCOW, April 12. A sample of the charges is as follows : Guesev. head of the electricity station at Zlatoust, alleges that MacDonald gave him money to collect information dealing with military production at Zlatoust.

The indictment quotes MacDonald’s deposition as admitting that he did so under instructions from Thornton, which included “organising breakdowns.”

MacDonald is alleged to hi\ve been under the impression that Thornton was acting in the interests of Britain. Guesev gives details of the wrecking aptu o"‘ ‘forine-L allegedly on MacDonald’s instructions, for the purpose of lowering production of shells and high quality steel. The indictment credits Thornton with admitting that he instructed MacDonald. but denying receiving' military or secret information

The charge against Monkhouse reads; “Between 1927 and 1932, when workinn- in Russia as Vickers’ chief representative, he belonged to a counter-revolutionary group, and collected through subordinate- English and Russian engineer* and technician', secret information of military ,and State importance, and participated in counter-revolutionary groups wrecking J-iivp-rsional (activities systematically. He was paid money for espionage, and systematically bribed and abetted Russian em-meers to conceal defects in equipment erected by Vickers.”

The charges against the others varv in detail, Rut are similar in principle.” MacDonald pleaded guilty, others pleaded not guilty.