West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Thursday 28 August 1952, page 7


HARTNETT OUTPUT DIFFICULTY CANBERRA, Wed.-Mr. Watkins (Lab, N.S.W.) has failed to obtain answers to ques tions suggesting that there had been obstruction to attempts by the Hartnett Motor Car Co. to get into production. In the House of Representa tives today he asked whether the Commonwealth Bank had granted a £1,000,000 overdraft to help the start of production of the Holden motor car and refused similar assistance for the Hartnett car. In a written reply supplied on behalf of the Minister for Na tional Development (Senator Spooner), Mr. Watkins was told that these questions dealt with relations between the Common wealth Bank and its clients and were confidential Mr. Watkins also asked whether the Commonwealth-controlled Commonwealth En gineering Co., of Granville, N.S.W., had obstructed manu facture of the Hartnett car by complete failure to deliver panel pressings which had been on order for 18 months. Senator Spooner's reply said that he did not know the details of the business relationship be tween the two companies, but understood that there was a dis pute which was being submit ted to arbitration.