TIN HARE RACING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21578, 25 February 1932, Page 9

TIN HARE RACING

MR LANG’S INTEREST CHARGES OF CORRUPTION (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) SYDNEY, February 24. (Received Feb. 24, at 10.30 p.m.) The Premier (Mr J, T. Lang) came in for severe criticism in the Legislative Assembly to-day when Mr Stevens, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, in the absence of Mr Bavin through ill-health, described the Premier’s speech yesterday as more or less in the nature of political showmanship. The Premier’s only stock-in-trade was the widow, the orphan, and the workless, but the fact remained that while the Government found little time to deal with the ma'n problems of the day—namely, the financial drift, vast unemployment, industrial turmoil, and poverty—it was very much concerned about restoring licenses to tin hare companies, which were likely to earn prodigious profits and smelt to heaven of political trickery and corruption. The public was entitled to know why the Premier had suddenly taken an intimate interest in this tin hare business. It was common knowledge that Judge Swindell, an American importation, had easy access to the Premier’s department. A section of the press had alleged that 20,000 shares in 'two tin hare companies had already been contributed to the Labour Party’s funds, and that further favours were being bestowed as the result of intervention by Judge Swindell, who seemed to have remarkable influence upon the Premier. The whole thing reeked with suspicion. Why did not the Premier see fit to defend his honour and the honour of his Government, this Government which prated so much about the poor, and needy ? Mr Stevens challenged the Premier to sue the newspapers which were responsible for the charges of corruption.