CHARGES MADE AGAINST LABOUR EX-MINISTERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18887, 11 October 1929, Page 7

CHARGES MADE AGAINST LABOUR EX-MINISTERS.

QUEENSLAND SCANDAL DISCUSSION IN HOUSE. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) BRISBANE, October 10. Considerable discussion has taken place in the Legislative Assembly concerning the actions of prominent people who were interested in the Mungana oil leases and the Mount Isa silverlead field. The allegations are that pressure was brought to bear on a former Labour Ministry to build a railway to Mount Isa, and for the Government to purchase the Mungana leases at £49,000 in consideration of gifts of, shares. The Minister of Railways. Mr Godfrey Morgan, declared in the House that a Labour member, Mr Randolph Bedford, had ” out of the goodness of his heart,” given shares to certain of his friends. These included Mr E. G. Theodore, M.P. and Deputy-Leader of the Federal Labour Party, Mr W. M’Cormack, former Labour Premier of Queensland, and Mr A. J. Jones, exMinister of Mines. It was further alleged that the gift of shares was worth thousands of pounds. The Premier, Mr A. E. Moore, has agreed to appoint a Royal Commission to investigate the scandals, but the inquiry will not commence until Mr M’Cormack returns from England.— Australian Press Association, Heated references were made in the Assembly last week to the affairs of the Mount Isa Proprietary (Silver-lead) Limited. Mr Kelso, a member, said that he considered that the facts disclosed one of the biggest scandals on record. The debate arose out of the second reading of the Bill to ratify the agreement, giving the Mining Trust, Limited prospecting rights over 100,000 acres on the Burketon mineral field. Sensational allegations made by Mr Kelso involved the ex-Labour Premiers, Messrs E. G. Theodore and M’Cormack. Mr Kelso declared that the shareholders of Mount Isa made a profit of £IOO,OOO at the expense of the public. The records show that Mr Theodore and Mr M’Cormack, among others, were shareholders.