MUNGANA TRIALS

Inangahua Times, 25 August 1931, Page 3

MUNGANA TRIALS

THEODORE AND McCORMACK fn.TA VK*T..H K OOT'l.'T Tin UMI •11 ANT I.Y 7 Press Assh-t— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) BRISBANE, Last Night. Cleared by a jury of having taken -p&rt in a conspiracy, the Federal Tn*a- ( surer, Mr Theodore an<l former Prime Minister of Mr McCormack, loft- the Supreme Court triumphantly, followed by a crowd of five thousand .men and some women, who cheered wildly and threw their hats in the air, making a remarkable demonstration ii tie »i 1' r Y tost congested ar ®»* . . \m w The jury found, in effect, that there waa no conspiracy among defendants for purchase of Mungana mines bj - Queensland Government for forty thousand sterling, which the Crown claimed far exceeded their value.

There was no conspiracy by any of the defendants whereby either Mi Theodore or Mr McCormack were to use their in furtherance of a common design to defraud the Government.

The jury’s answers to all questions exonerated the four defendants and judgment was entered accordingly, the costs to be taxed. Theodore was greeted everywhere, * 1 Good old Ted. 3 ’ Girls at windows were equally demonstrative. McCormack, always smiling, exchanged a few cheery words with news papermen as he strode proudly from tire Court precincts. An hour later, Air Theodore broke the silence and commenting on the verdict, said'it marks’ the ehd of a very chapter in the history, of Queens la mil. * ‘The Nationalists, •for a very t'ong tine, carried on a campaign of calumny against me. They tried to humiliate and destroy me, but have succeeded only in* dishonouring themselves. ” Mr McCormack contented himself with saying, ‘ l l am now out of public life and have, no desire., to make any statement’”