BRIBERY CHARGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26933, 19 November 1948, Page 5

BRIBERY CHARGES

BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY

FURTHER EVIDENCE HEARD N.Z.P.A.—Copyright LONDON, Nov. 17. The first witness at the Board of Trade inquiry to-day was Jacob Harris, vice-president of the Amusement Caterers’ Association. He said that Francis Cecil Price, in conversation with him, had described Sidney Stanley (alias Solomon Wulkan) as the “biggest villain unhung.” Harris said: “ Stanley said he was quite prepared to divert part of his Board of Trade allocation of £150,000 for. my purposes, provided he received £10,000.” Harris said Stanley struck him as being very boastful, and “ not the sort of individual I would like to make a pal of.” Harris said that at the end of August an agreement for this transaction was i signed and £IO,OOO paid to the lawyer, Alfred Bieber. Harris said there was no suggestion that the £IO,OOO would be split among several people or used to bribe anybody. He did not put up any of the £IO,OOO himself, but he knew that the gentleman who put up l the money got the biggest portion back. I The Attorney-general, Sir Hartley I Shawcross, asked Harris: “ This was : a confidence trick to induce two brothers named Davis to put up £10,000? ” Harris: That is too ridiculous for words. | Harris agreed with Sir Hartley that ! the Davis brothers were the only ones I to have lost money in the transaction ! so far. 1 Harris denied that in conversation with Price he had mentioned that John Belcher (a Parliamentary Undersecretary to the Board of Trade) or someone in the Board of Trade would get some of the £IO,OOO. He said it was Price who mentioned the Board of Trade, and Price also probably mentioned Belcher. Scotland Yard Interview Detective Inspector Joseph Kennedy, of Scotland Yard Fraud Squad, said he attended an interview between I Superintendent Thorp, of Scotland Yard, and Bieber on September 30, ! 1946. Kennedy stated that during the interview Bieber said: “ Stanley has been in contact with some very big people in the Government. I have no doubt he had to grease some palms. I I know Stanley entertains a number of

Labour Commoners, including Belcher, Glenvill Hall (Financial > Secretary to the Treasury), George Gibson (director of the Bank of England), and Charles Key (Minister of Works). Kennedy said that before he mentioned another name sounding like “ Jay.” Henry Seff, exhibition amusement park organiser, said Harris had told him that it was possible to import between £IOO,OOO and £150,000 worth of amusement machinery, and that- a commission of £IO,OOO would be paid to the person affording the facilities. Seff said he heard subsequently that Stanley was that person. Seff said he knew Belcher very well. He suggested to Belcher that' he could get amusement machinery imported under the Marshall Plan, but Belcher refused. John Horace Davis (not one of the Davis brothers mentioned earlier), who is a senior executive officer of the Import Licenisng Department of the Board of Trade (Machinery Section), gave evidence that before the present inquiry he had never heard of Stanley, although he controlled the importation of goods into Britain from any source by means of licensing. Davis said there was no trace of any licence or application for a licence in the name of Stanley or under any of Stanley’s known aliases. The tribunal proceeded to considei the section of the inquiry dealing with Sherman pools. The managing director of Sherman’s Football Pools, Harry Sherman, said he first met Stanley in April. Stanley spoke of friendships with people in the Government, mentioning Belcher and Gibson. Sherman was “ almost sure” that Stanley had also mentioned Harold Wilson (President of the Board of Trade) and Key. Sherman said: “ Stanley told me my competitors in the football pools were continually seeing Belcher and were agitating against me. He said they would give Belcher £50,000 to £IOO,OOO to put me out of business.” The inquiry was adjourned until tomorrow.