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HOUSE COMMIITEE _ ISSUES WARRANT roR oNE witNess The fifteen--minute interval ensued,. and Mr. Macaulay, staring at his watch, dGeclared: "We have wa'tcd the allotted time. On the sirength of the charges maCe by this man, Mr. Murro has put himself in the posi-- tion in which he fineds himse'!f today. E: has put his seat in jeopardy," he aCded. in refererce to the fact that Mr. Munro had made his charges on his respons'ibility as a member "I; is a serious matter for the depart-- ment, as weoll. Walker was here this morning, and it looks as though ke deliberately absented himself. Be-- cause his evidence is so vital to this inqu.:ry, I am dGetermired that ho shall appear before the committee. ; have conferred with Mr. Murro, and ne agrees that a'll efforts should be made to bring him here." Police Seek Witness. "*Mr. Walker had better show up or I'll have a warrant issued for his arrest," proclaimed Mr. Macaulay. "He was here this morning, but this afternoon he got as far as the door and ran away. I move that a war-- rant be issued if he dossn't turn up within fifteen minutes." Fails to Appear Following Subpoena, and Police Seek His Trail ROAD -- MAKING CHARGES A large number of Egin County witnesses, called on the Liberals' re-- quest, attended the afternoon session of the committee. Mr. Munro doubt=d they could add much to the evidence presented at the morning sitting, bu; Mr. Macaulay insisted that some of them be hsard. J. A. Craig (Conservative, Lanark North» considered it "a shame" to call any more witnesses, on the ground that enough had been heard. On motion of Hon. Leopold Macau-- lay, Minister of Highways, and Myr. Munro, a warrant was ordered is sucd for the arrest of Henry M. Walk-- er, an important figure in the in-- quiry, subpoenaed as witness in the Commnittee Room,. but missing when he was called to testify. C Drama climaxed yesterday's sitting of the Public Accounts Committee, called to investigate Liberal Paul Munro's charges that highway pay-- rolls had been padded, and that Gov-- ernment investigation had failed to disclose the irregularities. | It was Walker who precipitated the departmental investigation of payrolls prepared by James R. Gun: ning, Elgin County road foreman, and who subsequently was sued by Gun-- ning on the basis of the allegations he made. When first sought as wit-- ness by Mr. Macaulay yesterday morning, Walker was "somewhere in the city." At that time he had not been formally subpocnaed, but had come to Toronto to testify. Served with the subpoena in the Committes Mr. Munro then seconded Mr. Ma-- caulay's formal motion for issuance of a warrant. The commitizse rose until this morning, and an influx of Attorney--General's Department offi-- clals began preparation of the war-- rant, which was turned cver to the Provincial Police for service. James Gunning, next sworn. de-- scribed the arrangoment whereby he had bought a truck for road work, and the depar mental ruling whereunder. ha said, he had entored trvck tim»> as name on the sheeis. "I should have asked Mr. McPherson," he conceded: "but I thought my name could not go down as both teamster and foreman. When his horses had been used, his sons' names were em.ered, but when the truck went into operation he made an arrangement with Wilfred Fife. As a result Fife had received --two cheques, for $44 and $37.95, actually for the use of Gunning's truck. But "it seemed to bother me. I «hought perhaps it was no: right," said Gun-- ning. and so he had referred the mat-- ter to Mr. McPhetson. Subsequently, acecunts for the truck went by invoice to the departmen.. "What's the trowble between you and Walker?" the Minister inquired. "Never one dollar," Gunning as-- serted. "You have been charged with graft-- ing," said Mr. Macaulay. Gunning placed before the commit-- tee the account of a disagreement which began, he said, with Walker's intention to lease a house from Mrs. Barnes, Gunning's sister--in--law. While negotiations were pending, Gunning himself entered a successful bid for purchase of th> property. A rental of a shed. He believed that tice declaration made by John Brown in connection with this inzsident had been sworn under a misapprehension. Vilfred Fife, tre man to winom cheques for Gunning's truck were made payable, said that ho had seen no wrongdoing under the cireum-- stances, and had endorsed th> cheques over to Gunning. Mrs. Gunning also war called, but addod litle to the evidonce. First witness at the morning sitting wes H. E. McPhorson, Resident En-- gingser on the strotch of road wher> Gunning sorved as foroman. Because thers was much heavy hauling to be dons. teams wors slow and the do-- partment rofused to supply a truck. Gunning had proposed that he him-- self buy a truck for use where neces-- sary. This project was followed out. and the foroman was paid at the rate of $1.10, or doubls the tram rate. As &n eng.n:er, Mr. McPhorson said. the arrangemeont had appealed to> him as good business. "You have satisfied yourse'f that the truck was used as Mr Macaulay agreed, but said: "I am conducting this inquiry, and am merely t:ying to bring out the facts. It is on Mr. Munro's responsibility that these witnesses have come so long a way. All we have heard is village tittle--tattle that has been magnified by the Board of Strategy, with the coject of blowing this Government out of Queen's Park.' On the contrary, said Mr. Munro, it had been shown that wrong entries had been mads, and wrongz informa-- tion given, by Highways Deparcment emnl »yees. Gsorge Mclean, Talbotvillc, had travelled 145 miles to give his evidence. and insisted he should receive witness fees before he took the stand. Ex+ planation of procedure failed to shake his refusal. Rev. R. C. Copeland, a former pas-- tor of Talbotville United Church, en-- larged upon morning witnesses' ex-- planation of payment of "team--hitre" money to the church's Treasurer. Thns money had been paid in return for Engineer Testifies. mt on why h imaa / MA('C_\« 3 iC bad not us>d his own nayve--sheors, He was t _ Gunning declared he had made no | profit from the time--sheet entries in question. He recounted, on Mr. Munro's questioning a long list of items, entered as payment for teams, | but actually for gravel, sand, rentals. | damage, stons, expropriation and labor. He thought there might be other items of the same type in the paysheets. He was questioned closely on pay-- ments for use of his sedan car while \his truck was in a garage for repairs. |The car had been used thus for only Iabout two days, he said. | _ "Did either of your sons, between Jan. 1 and August, 1929, work con-- sistently for one Glover, a farmer in the neighborhood?" asked Mr. Munro. | Gunning knew William Glover of Fin-- gal, but was unawarse that his son 'had been employed by him. Next, Gunning was called on to explain the matter of John Brown. with whom he had been a _church steward. The payments to this man, |$5 every six months, had been for use of the church shed for storing sand and snow fences. He, too, had been naid as a teamster. Remarking that the Powell inci-- deont had received "two--inch head-- lines in The Gloze," Mr. Macaulay considered it worth while to press his questioning further. He established that Powell had received teamster pay for the sand and damage. ~aomnvenerspempeme Paid as Teamster. 'That was the Angel Gabriel call-- ing." said Mr. Macaulay, exolaining trat he really had wanted the deoad man's son. "No. I never saw you before the day before yvesterday." was the reply. He added that he settied the case on his own responsibility. Mr. Munro read Walker's declara -- tion, made in connection with the slander action, seiting out that the sworn statement of Fife was relied on. Gunning was questioned on alleged bayments to John Powell, who died in 1932. He said the payments, all made befovre Powell's death, had been for sand and for damaze to a fence. Mr. Macaulay impatiently scanned the back--benches. "Is Mr. Powell here?" he demanded, and the com-- mittee howled at his expense. At that moment Mr. Macaulay made his first demand for Walker's testimony. The server said he had issued no subpoena to the witness, but was aware that he was in town. "They'te not at your hotel, are they?" he asked Mr. Munro, and won for himself the first laugh of the day. wrangle ensued for $112.50, claimed by Walker, and Gunning, taking Mrs. Barnes's part in the dispute, had forced a settlement at $50.. "From then on, he didn'* have much love for me," said Gunning. Then the fore-- man, having seen "the inside of Walker's character," refused to rec-- ommend his reappointment as traffic census--taker. "From then on he had still less love for me, and that fall he wrote to the department charging me wih graft." "Did you have any communication from me or any one else in Toronto about settling this case?" inquired Mr. Macaulay. Questioned as to the slander action he brought against Walker. Gunning said he had settled it out of court and paid $150 toward the defendant's costs. He explained that he was afraid the litigation ultimately would be be-- yond his means, "and I couldn't col-- lect from Walker anyway." Asked why, he said: "Because he was finan-- cially irresponsible."