ALLEGED GRAFT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20432, 12 June 1928, Page 13

ALLEGED GRAFT.

THE SYDNEY INQUIRY. DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENTS. (From Ora Owk Coreispoxdzxt.) SYDNEY, June 1. Dramatic incidents from time to time maintain a lively public interest in the proceedings of the Royal Commission which is inquiring into the graft charges associated with Sydney city contracts. The diver and moneylender Alberts who it has been alleged, was a sort of go between in the receipt of the money,, has been much in the public eye. His original evidence was surprising enough. Then at one stage he created a scene in the court by calling Silas Y. Maling a liar. Following evidence of his association in the transactions with Miss Gordon his wife is suing him for divorce, and as if to add to his misfortunes, he was knocked down by a motor car but not seriously injured. A second divorce suit has arisen from the proceedings, the parties being Mr and Mrs Maling, and the co-respondent being Mrs Pittock, with whom, it turns out, Maling has lived for a number of years. She is a widow, and to her Maling has been most generous. She was the centre of a dramatic turn of events yesterday when counsel asked the judge, to extend the sitting beyond the usual • time for adjournment so that the evidence on one or two phrases of the transactions could be heard before anybody•• had an opportunity of getting in touch with her. There were two interesting aspects of her evidence. One was that apart from Maling, who says he paid Alderman Green £7500 of the money received, she is the only person so far who claims to have had direct communication with Green in regard to the matter. The second was that she did not, at the time the payments were discussed, know. Albert. She told of an interview she had with Green, thus corroborating the* statements already made that Alderman Green was fully aware of all that was. going on, and was personally interested in the financial results. Among the interesting letters read before the commission are several from Maling, written while he was in New Zealand. In one letter to his solicitor' Maling made some remarkable statements “It must he apparent to you,-’ he said, “that so far the change in the administration at the Town Hall has, been a failure, and a serious reflection on the Government and the small crowd that influenced the'Government, and that propaganda is urgently needed. I am the star turn. I have held the opinion for some time that I would be forcibly returned on a trumped-up charge if I did not return voluntarily. This idea* has come true . . . with regard id the man Albert ... I am informed that this man is going to make highly damaging statements about me. He appears to have lost control of himself entirely, and I believe that his state-* ments to members of the public are. so damaging and numerous that he does not remember what he lias said and who he has spoken to. Do you think you should write to him without mentioning that you have received this information from me, as I am sure it is quite time it was checked in my interests 1 ” The inquiry will not be completed foysome time.