THE CANTEEN SCANDAL

Manawatu Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12803, 29 May 1914, Page 8

THE CANTEEN SCANDAL

By Electric Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, May 27. Whitaker and Minto were found guilty in the canteen scandal case. Whitaker, in his defence, said no favour was shown to Lipton's and the only moneys received by him were in compensation for a visit to Crete. He read a letter from Colonel Fiennes, representing the firm of Maidstone brewers, offering a free trip and ask ing him to use his influence with a colonel in Crete on behalf of their beer. Mr Justice Darling, summing up, said it was regrettable that Colonel Fiennes, who was now Baron Save and Sele, whose ancestor put his hand to the Magna Charta, sliould have written such a letter. Whitaker, in broken accents, said he was unaware he was doing wrong at the instance of the gentleman named. He did it because he was in need of money, having t\st> sons at Sandhurst. He threw himself on the judge's mercy. Mr Justice Darling, animadverting on the letter, sternly commented on the decadence shown by the representative of a great family in cadging orders for beer. Whitaker was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and the other military accused were bound over. Minto and Cansfield were fined £SOO each; Craig £100; Laing, Owen and Pegly and Lynch, £SO each; and Swain was bound over. Whitaker made a second appeal for clemency but the judge ordered his removal.