ALLEGED “DUMMY”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21190, 10 November 1938, Page 12

ALLEGED “DUMMY”

A MINING COMPANY The Premier of Queensland (Mr Forgan Smith) claimed this week that he had “scotched” a scheme to supply vital defence information to foreign interests. The information was of mineral resources, depths of water off the coast, and places where seaplanes might land. Mr Forgan Smith said that he had informed .the Defence Department. He had statutory declarations, photostats, and documents in his possession. These disclosed that a proposed Australian mining company would have been a dummy for a real company in a foreign country. The company was to have had Australian directors and shareholders. It proposed to mine iron, lead, wolfram, copper, tin, and other minerals useful for armament manufacture. Leases in Queensland were applied for, and in consideration of the leases being obtained “certain people" were to get £20,000. Mr Forgan Smith said that he would not disclose the source of his information. When Mr Forgan Smith’s statement was referred to him, the Minister of Defence. Mr Thornby, said that generally officers of the Defence Department had investigated the activities of many suspicious persons, in some instances with surprising results. Much valuable information was passed on to the Department, and officers were continually on the alert. “I will welcome any genuine information that can be given by citizens, and any case in which the circumstances appear to be suspicious will be thoroughly investigated,” he said.