Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Thursday 29 January 1953, page 3


Bank shareholders asked to sack the

millionaire who won't resign

London,. Wed.

The board of directors of Britain's Midland Bank will ask sharehold-ers at the annual meet-ing- on February 2 to vote for the removal from the bank board of fellow director, millionaire in-dustrialist, Sir Bernard

Docker.

Sir Bernard Docker re

fused to resign when approached privately by

the board.

He is chairman of the Birmingham Small Arms Company, a director of 16 other companies, and has been a director of the Mid-land Bank since 1928.

Lord Harleck, Midland Bank chairman, said in a circular to the bank's 70.000 shareholders yesterday: "The Board's view is that it is not in the best interests of the bank to continue to have as a member of its board one who has attracted publicity of such character and extent as Sir Bernard Docker, during recent years, has been attracting."

Sir Bernard, in his own

circular to shareholders, said the Board's only ground of complaint against him re-lated to publicity he had been receiving lately, which "has not been of my seek-ing-on the contrary, it caused me great distress."

He added: "It has arisen in the main in regard to

three matters:

"First, in relation to court proceedings in which I was a respondent, justifying a decision of the Agricultural ¡Executive Committee which had been given in my favor;

"Second, relating to an incident at Monte Carlo, from which I have now been vindicated by the fact that legal action which I took to ensure the true facts became known has been

settled after a retraction and apology; and

"The last, relating to a libellous publication in which again action has been settled after an apology had been made by those responsible."

rsir Bernard Docker a year ago had a gold-plated Daimler car built for his wife. Last September Sir Bernard and Lady Docker were barred from the Casino, Monte Carlo, after a quarrel with officials. They withdrew the defamation suit claiming £ 10,000 damages when the new directors of the club running the Casino agreed there had been "an unfortunate misunderstand-ing" and handed back the couple's admission cards.]

A.A.P.