SYDNEY GRAFT CHARGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19953, 23 May 1928, Page 14

SYDNEY GRAFT CHARGE.

WORRIES OF MR. ALBERT. LETTER TO MR. MAUNG. * A REMARKABLE EPISTLE. «* I AM ALMOST INSANE." In the course of the examination of {Arthur Herbert Albert before the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the allegation tof graft payment in connection with a Sydney City Council contract, reference made to three letters written by v <tuess to Mr. S. Y. Maling, deputy-general manager of the City Council Electricity Department, while the latter was in New Zealand. Mr. A. B. Shand, who is appearing as counsel to assist the Royal Commissioner, read one of the letters. It ran as follows: — "I must admit being a old fool in giving my consent to my name concerning that money coming out to you and ten thousand times worse worries en tho head of my best friend, Mr. •Buckle, a man who has never spoken to you, and does not remember seeing you. I do not like meeting him, as I know ■what he feels like. "Poor old Gordon, yho did just what was asked, is completely broken up over the inquiries from the detective office. Like me, her memory lias failed, in some things. What a pliable tool vou have made me in this matter, and unconsciously I have brought two others in it. I am completely out of my mind at times—cannot eat or sleep—and what for? Just because I was too weak to ask you who it was from. "I have had the income tax people Sifter me. The detective office, my domestic troubles, my private business exposed *—had to neglect my work, as I had all the above questions put to me at the same time. "My head is like a live earthquake, and cannot remember the things I should. Thank God, there is not an alderman that knows me, otherwise they would make up something between us. I only wish to God that you or I had been struck dead before we ever met. You must have seen I was a pliable old food and used me as such. I would not go through the same for all the friends I have in the -world. Outside of domestic affairs I had nothing to worry about before this rotten transaction. Now lam always trembling with .weakness. Concern For Two Friends. "You used to talk to me about your people's estate, and tow some thousands •were sent you—years back. Like an idiot that and doing council work left me in the dark as to your reasons, if any, in getting me to do the trust account. To make matters worse, the Melbourne submarine fa diving contract] came at the same time; otherwise I would have been in it alone and could have picked out all the movements of trust account for any inquiries. So you see the trouble brought on the other two innocent people. "What a rotten fool I was for another's "benefit. However, you know best if everything was above board, and it is up to you to get us out of this suspicion. T can never look iny business clients in the face if this is made public. Tt is bad enough for my error in being callous .■with the income tax, and I am not. alone in that. As for your private matters concerning this mrsney, I have always stated to the officials it was £11.603 instead of '£10.600. which shows how my brain is fncreed and memory gone. "I would give up the remainder of mv life if you could only relieve me of this load you piled on me and the other two. J caiinofc write more, as T am almost insane." " I 'Was Pretty Ratty." Mr. W. A. Holman, counsel for Mr. dialing, cross-examined witness, in regard to the letter. He asked: You wrote three times to New Zealand ? Witness: Yes. I kept a copy of one Jetter. You did not keep a copy of the others ?—No. . I think I was pretty -"ratty" when I sent those. You saw Mr. McLachlan (Mr. Maling's solicitor) ? —Yes. Did you get any assistance to write that letter ?—No. It was your own unaided composition ? y es . < Are the words "Pliable tool" the kind that you use usually ?—Oh; I have used them. Literary style varies. When a man gets a pen in his hand he often -writes differently from the way he speaks. Would you say in ordinary conversation, !"I don't know how to upbraid you ?" Yes. I know what upbraid means. Possibly there is a lot of bad spelling in it; but you can't blame me for that. No; I don't. But I would suggest that that was a letter written with assistance and a copy was kept for a purpose.— Possibly the other two would show you jfclie wording is somewhat similar. You say you were "ratty" when you {wrote that ?—Pretty well. Question of Income Tax. Yon mean agitated, disturbed in inind ?—Yes; when I had Mr. Whiddon j(of the Taxation Department) after me. You had received £10,600, which you Relieved to be a bona fide matter, and had passed it all over to its original jowner, and there was not any of it sticking to your hands ?—No; I am too honest for that. Notwithstanding that you had by the date cf that letter arrived at a condition of mind which you described as "ratty" ? » —Yes. What made you that ?—Why! Because I had the whole thing put before me by •Mr. Whiddon's department. I had Mr. [Whiddon waiting for me and the Criminal Investigation Branch waiting for me, and had my domestic troubles as well. What sort of claim did Mr. Whiddon have on you ?—I didn't know he had much until he opened up the matter. The Commissioner (Mr. Justice Harvey) : How did he open the matter ?—He Bupplied me with a bill and it looked pretty big. Hav« you got that assessment?—No; the assessors in Mr. Whiddon's have it. .They are dealing with it. Mr. Holman: You had no income out of the £10.600 and could not be called upon to pay?— Excuse me; I was called upon to pay for £I6OO, which was shown in ray book, and I was given to believe that Miss Gordon's account was pulled into it, and I had to admit it was not iMiss Gordon's money. When you say you were "ratty" do srou suggest these things caused it'?— Mr. .Whiddon demanded that I should make lout my accounts for four years back. I •went down to the place and found the C.LB. waiting, and they wanted to go through my books. Then I had domestic trouble, and you can understand what any head was like. "Who Informed Mr. Whiddon?" His Honor: Who did Mr. Whiddon suggest informed him as to the amount I take it it was my son. There were items that came out that showed me that domestic affairs had started it. Mr. Holman: You went to Mr. McLachlan and asked him to' write to Mr. Maling and advise him to leave the country and not return?—No; I asked him when he was coming back. Did you tell Mr. McLachlan that, although he could not get a passport, ho could get a job qii one of the Dutch boats at Is a month a'ud go out as one of the .ship's company ?—No. His Honor: Was there any talk about fc job on a Dutch boat ?—No; not as far "W Was concer ned. tVn. ® hcr ° an y talk about a passport ? ' n ° L 111 Mr. McLachlan's offke.