BUTTER COMMISSION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 22

BUTTER COMMISSION

REVELATIONS BY A FORMER INSPECTOR. MELBOURNE, August 17. At a sitting of the Butter Commission, Air Sinclair, formerly Government Agent in London, accused Mr Taverner, Minister of Agriculture, of arranging with a company to personally act as its agent and obtaining and shipping produce. He also accused him of shipping inferior lamb, some of which was seized as unfit for human consumption, and branding it with a Government certificate. He declared Air Taverner secretly applied for a site for refrigerating works. AIELBOURNE, August 18. At the Butter Commission inquiry, Mr Sinclair made further serious allegations concerning Air Taverner, when the latter was Alinister of Agriculture, in connection with the shipment and disposal of meat in England. He declared that Air Taverner would not give adequate support to his proposals to improve the condition of shipments, because he would not allow himself to be influenced in a certain direction which Mr Taverner desired. A memorandum written by Mr Taverner just before he left for London to take the position of Agent-General, with a direction that it should be used if neoessary, was read, in which Air Taverner said: “In a confidential and friendly chat with Mr Sinclair, I informed him I was inclined to drop politics and go in for a business in connection with the export trade, and that if he could help me to get an appointment which would better my position I would gladly retire from politics. I may have an opportunity some day of speaking of what Air Sinclair did n the interests of producers at the Leaclenhall office in London. As to the statements circulated by him regarding myself, I only ask for British fair play, and that both sides should be heard before judgment is given.” The Premier, referring to the matter in Tho Assembly, said the Government intended to obtain shorthand notes of Mr Sinclair’s evidence, and then make a strict inquiry into his charges against Air Taverner. v It is understood that when the Premier receives a precis of Mr Sinclair’s charges against Air Taverner he intends to appoint a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry. Mr Taverner will probably be granted leave to enable him to return and appear before the committee. AIELBOITR.NB, August 19. • At the Butter Commission inquiry, Mr Scarlett, formerly an inspector in the Grain and Agricultural Department, gave evidence that in 1900 he saw the Government stamp being used to stamp butter boxes in Bartram and Son’s establishment. He saw the same thing in 1901. Both cases were too

early in the morning for the butter expert to visit the premises. The Government stamp had previously mysteriously disappeared. Questioned as to why he remained silent, he said he did not report the matter for fear of dismissal. He alleged that he was subsequently dismissed for reporting a man for robbing the Imperial Government to the extent of £IBSO. He also alleged that he had reported Mr Taverner. He further stated that he had been asked, but refused, to allow a shipment of fodder to pass without weighing. The witness concluded: “Mr Taverner told me that I ought to be ashamed of myself, and ordered me out of the office.”