Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into Certain Charges against Mr. Henry Chinn
Chinn Royal Commission
4 January 1913 – 27 November 1913
Inquired into charges against Henry Chinn, the engineer supervising construction of the Trans-Australian Railway from the Kalgoorlie end, including allegations that he had illicitly trafficked in gold, committed frauds in 1894 and forged references.
How it came into existence
Appointed by Letters Patent dated 4 January 1913, during the Fisher government, after J. M. Fowler MHR pressed the charges. Chinn had been in conflict with Henry Deane, chief engineer of Commonwealth railways, but had the support of the Minister for Home Affairs, King O’Malley. The sole commissioner was Henry Hodges, a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
How it ended
The report was presented on 27 November 1913, and the commission then ended. Hodges dismissed six of the charges but was equivocal on the charges that Chinn had forged references. Chinn had already been dismissed by the new Cook government’s minister in mid-1913, and a Senate select committee chaired by Hugh de Largie also examined his case in 1913.
Main functions
- Investigation of charges against a Commonwealth railway engineer
Lineage
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