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'iMunro Claims Irregularities ._ in Roadwork Pay Sheets Are Disclosed D, Paul Munro tions he made \ House; and M: | withdraw, in th «UNNING IS CLEARED FOLLOWING PROBE BY HOUSE INQURY WALKER TESTIFIES! Admits Hard Feeling Be-- tween Himself and Road Foreman rPublic Accounts Committse inves-- tigation of Liberal charges regarding Eigin County highway payrolls closed yesterday afternoson with a clean bill of health given James Gunning, fore.-- man; a demand from Hon,. Leopold Macaulay, Minister of Highways, that _The committee meeis again this morning, when it will report on the The sensation of the day was the appearance of Henry M. Walker, krown as the "missing witness." Un-- der closs questioning from Mr. Macaulay, he admitted that he had not attended the committee meeting, tions he made on the floor of the House; and Mr. Munro's refusal to withdraw, in that the inquiry had dis-- m wregularities in road--work pay-- on the advice of Vincent Folsy, Lon-- don, his lawyer; and that his room at a downtown hotel had been moved last Tuesday to the same floor as those of Mr. Foley and Mitchell F. Hepburn, Ontario Liberal Leader. He denied that Mr. Hepburn had called on him about the case. Admits Subpoena. It was under Mr. Munro's question-- ing that this part of the investigation first arose. Examining Walker, the Liberal lawyer remarked that he un-- derstood this was the "missing witness" in the case. Walker said he was at committee yesterday because of an in-- terview with a Provincial Police of-- ficer--Inspector Ward--on Friday, at the King Edward Hotel. It was dur-- ing the morning, he believed, but he was uncertain of the time. He had. said Walker, been in the committee mm Thursdiary. and had been sub= poenaed at the door. Asked how he had come to be present, Walker said that he knew the cage was coming up. and his wife had told him over the phone that a man had called at their house with a sum-- mons. He had been in Toronto at the time. Just after the morning ad-- journment of the committee he had been served with a subpoena by J. A. Coombs. Coombs had wanted him to come into the committee room, and Walker had asked him: "What for?" He had been told: "To be called as a witness." Asbdwhyhehdnocobeyedthe subpoena immediately, Walker said: "I didn't think he had the authority." Ncmhehadteupmmdtomsdswr in Toronto, and had gon> downtown. On Thursday. "Where were you 11 when, somebody said, a was stationed all night room?" said Mr. Munro. "Where were you Thursday night, | when, somebody said, a police officer | was stationed all night outside your | room?" said Mr. Munro. "I wasn't in my room." said Walker, . "I was with a friend." "We'l find out who the friend was," | Mr. Macaulay promised. He had been served again with a anhnaana on Friday morning, and, as hrpaeiie l TE EC D snb ce result, had attended yesterday's ses-- m, said Walker. Mr. Macaulay took over the exami-- , and lhiad been he "Where was Mr. Hepburn's?" asked Mr. Macaulay. "On the same floor," said Walker, "about three doors away." "They were kseping a close watch on vou." tie Minister commented. '"They couldn't keep a closs watch on me," declared Walker. "We all agree w"ith you," returned Mr. Macaulay. "Even the Provincial Polion couldn't do that." _ He had registered at Room 1572 in the King Edward Hotel, he told Mr. Macaulay. "Think again," said the Minister. "What number room did you have when you first came here?" There was a long pause. "Snap out of it," urged Mr. Macaulay. "You signed a card i;\nd got a room. What numser was it?" The Minister nexi wanted to know what conterences had been held after Walker had "moved 'nto the centre of the Board of Strategy." Only a Few Minutes. "I can't tell you," said Walker. Mr. Macaulay suggested that the witness's memory was "fading fast." "You don't come down from Talbotville to the King Edward Hotel s often that you can't remember tie room number." No Guarantee. Asked if he were going to get the bill for his room, Walker said the bill had been paid by himself, and that no one had guaranteed payment. «i qy *3 0 | | & V '"You know Mr. Foley?" asked Mr.) . tri Macaulay. '"I believe he's been acting ) | ,, . with Mr. Munro in the preparation | you of this case." | and "Yes," said Walker. rmecan [ don '"Did he have a room near you! hew "Not on that floor," said Wa,l.cef. He | cA believcd the number was 1564 or 1565. ive "You're wrong again," commented I ow Mr. Macaulay, -- ~wus o) Walker denied that "Mr. Hepbourn ever talked to m about this case. We weren't together over four or five minutes, no longer. We didn't discuss the case, we hadr't time." On Tussday, tiase day after his ar-- rival, he had been moved u> one floor n the hotel, said Wailker. He said then that he had been in room "four-- teen something" the first dGay. Mr. Poley's room was not far away, ho Persistently questiconed by Mr. Ma-- caulay, Walker repeated his denial, and explained that Mr. Hepburn was just bsaving the room and they had merely shaken hands and chatted. He was uncertain of the day, in that "there was nothing to remember it The witness said he had come down Monday to see Mr. Munro, on Mr. Foley's suggestion. No arrangements had been made about paying him, he said, and warmly repeated that he did not "get anything in connection with th's case." Everything had been paid out of his own money, nor had he been promised anything. He had seen Mr. Munro at 5.30 on Monday, and had turned over his papers to him. He had "waited around on TuesGéay" and had spent that night at the hotel. On Wednes-- day, he said, he had teen in the committee room, and had gone back to the hotel that night. He was sure he had been served with the sub-- posna on Wednesday, he said, in "Give him the time, place and cir-- cumstances," said Mr. Munro to Mr. Macaulay. Continuing, Walker said he spent Wednesday night at the hotel, and Thursday '"around the hotel and the streets." For One Day Only. "Where is that subpoena?" asked Mr, Macaulay. Walker thought it was around his room. "Why were you not here when you were subpoenaed?" demand>d Mr. Macaulay. Walker reoplied that he believed the subpoena called for on»: day only, Tuesday. j Mr. Macaulay grew angry, and warned that if Walker continued with "this tissue of falsehoods" the com-- 'The Minister drew from the wit-- ness the statement that he had dis-- cussed the subpoena with Mr. Foley. "Was that why you weren't there?" asked Mr. Macaulay. "Wh?d did you come to Toronto?" ' asked. "Monday." He denied that any one March 24 to Toronto?" | Wednesday without a subpoena, and then didn't come when you got one? |__Mr. Macaulay--Foley advised you lnot, to ccmg: isn't that a fact? | Walker--KNes, that's a fact. | _The Minister returned to the at-- | | tack: '"'We want the truth, not what | j Foley toid you to say. You tell the -Itrut,h and you'll be o.k. I just had | | the Provincial Police check up on . | your statements about the hotel rooms | and they find you were wrong. I | don't want to make you out a per-- jurer. You're being used by the Lib-- eral Board of Strategy to try to damn the characters of your neighbors. You've been used, willingly or un-- willingly, in a Grit plot to damn Gun-- ning's character." ' This concluded the discussion of Walker's movements since his arrival ! in Toronto. o . _ The slander action had twice come | up for trial. On the first occasion, the ) action had be:n laid over to next j court; on the second, the suit had | been withdrawn, and $150 had been | paid Vincent Foley, his l.awygg. by St. 1"", eall Waliker, He further ex-- plained that he "didn't think it neces-- my.n & '"*You thought it neécessary to draw the attention of the Prime Minister to the Gunning case, and then when you had a chance to give your evi-- dence to this committee you were not present," commented Mr. Macaulay. When Walker asserted that he had expressed his honest opinion, the Min-- ister added: "There isn't another man in Ontario who would make a state-- ment like that." "No," said Walker plained that he "did. William _ Mc Hamilton East) Walker was questioned by Mr. Munro first on his dispute with Gun-- ning on the marter of Mrs. Barnes's farm, which he sought to lease, and Gunning purchased. He next had seen Gunning at the Court House in St. Thomas after he had been sued by the Clair Leitch, solicitor for Gunning. There had beon a conf:rence of their solicitors and cliznts in the barristers' rgom at St. Thomas Court House, Mr. Foley atking $150 and costs. No settle-- Eent was reached then. but it was tor. Mr.© Munro asked what party had beén meant. "The Conservative Party," said Walker. Asked by Mr. Munro what facts he had to go on, Walker cited Fifs's allcged cath, the infor-- mation he had received from Fife, and the records of the Hghways Depart-- ment, to which he had had access. Also, he believed that Howard Gun-- ning, the foreman's son, had not worked on the road in 1930. Shown a letter, wh.ich Mr. Macaulay said he had written him on Dec. 15. Walker denied receipt of it. Excerpts Read. Mr. Munro rcad again the excerpts from Gunning's examination in the slander action, which previously he had read in th: House when making the charges. Walker agreed that the questions and answers as read were correct. _ "You've a imighty gcood memory,"' the M.nistsr commented, Walker agreed. P e 1 L5 road foreman on grounds of slander. Meanwhile, he had written two letters to the Minister of Highways at To-- ronto, alleging graft in preparation of paysheets, and proposing that the man be brought "to justice." Unaware of QuarreL He said that Wilfred Fife swore on oath that he had endorsed cheques issued :o him by the Highways De-- partment, and handed him by Gun-- ning. After endorsation, the cheques were returned to the foreman. As a result of his complaints to the High-- ways Department, an agent--Account-- ant Brown, of the depariment--had Interviewed him. He had been asked if there had been a quarrel between Gunning and Fife, and nad replied that he was unaware of any. _ "Well, wo'll see shortly," said Mr. Macaulay esns 3 Fife, he said, had sworn to a writ-- ten statement a; <she office of a bar-- rister named McDonaild in St. Thomas. The pig--feeding transaction mentioned in last week's testimony had nothing to do with this declaration, Walker swore. Also, Walker had wri.ten Pre-- mier Henry last December a lettsr which included a reference to the effect of the Gunning matter upon "our party." Mr.© Munro asked what party had beén meant. "The Conservative Party," "You remember every word?" asked Mr. Macaulay. Walker asssnied, 4 (Conservative, vere you here