CANCER FUND

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19456, 21 December 1934, Page 9

CANCER FUND

DEMAND FOR INQUIRY,

MR LANG’S ATTACK. (From a Correspondent.) SYDNEY, November 14. A grave charge that the Government had done everything in its power to prevent a public inquiry into the affairs of the Cancer .Research Fund of the Sydney University was made by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Lang), speaking on the Charitable Collections Bill in the Assembly tonight. “If ever there was a scandal In connection with the administration of funds raised from the public for charitable purposes, it was the misappropriation of the ' funds of the Cancer Research Department of the Sydney University,” said Mr Lang. “There we had an Instance of a professor .using thousands of pounds, which had been raised for financing a work in connection with one of the greatest scourges of mankind for his own pleasure. “Whether that large sum of money was used by the late Professor Chapman for his own service, or whether he divided it with others in high places, will never be known —at least while this Government is in office—because this Government will not permit an investigation.” Mr Lang declared that for some strange reason the University was permitted to go on soliciting funds from the public and be answerable to nobody while a church bazaar which raised £lO would have to submit to the most searching examination. The most extraordinary feature about the Bill was the way it discriminated between the great churches in the community and the University. He said that he'supported the principle of the Bill, in so far as it aimed at controlling the activities of those who collected money from the public iii the name of charity ; but the method by which it was supposed to put this principle into operation might easily become a menace to the community. The Labour Party would oppose the Bill, he said.