The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 1

BIGGEST SALE OF ANY 1PAIPED GKTAUSTRAUA Hasiy I 13 Incorporating The Sunday Sun and Guardian (No. 3866) and The Sunday Herald (No. 1479) SUNDAY, JULY 17, 1977 FIFTEEN CENTSt 160 Pages 1 By PETER ALLEN The key figure in a fight against marihuana growing in NSW is missing, feared gunned to death in a Hafia-slyle killing in the Riverina town of Griffith. LI if' i II A massive police search is under way for the missing man, a leading Griffith businessman, following the discovery of his bloodstained car in a hotel car park early yesterday morning. Three spent cartridges were found alongside the car.

There were signs of a scuffle. Two carloads of senior detectives from Sydney arrived in Griffith last night to take over the investigation. They included members of the Drug Squad and Special Crime Squad. Police are certain the missing man, Bruce Donald Mackay, 43, married with three children and a former State Liberal Party candidate, was the victim of a carefully planned murder. They waited He had received death threats in recent weeks.

Threats were also made to bomb hb Griffith furniture business. Mr Mackay had been an outspoken campaigner against marihuana growing since the discovery of an illegal $30 million crop at nearby Coleambally two years ago. In recent weeks he had been responsible for sensational disclosures about marihuana growing on the Riverina, including un- mam covering evidence that 11 to 14-year-old children were being used to harvest marihuana crops. The Acting Superintendent of Riverina police district, Supt G. Marshall, said yesterday, "We are not discounting any possibilities." Mr Mackay was last seen alive after drinking with friends at the Griffith Hotel-Motel.

Police said he had left his furniture store about 5.20 pm on Friday. He left the hotel by a rear entrance about 6.30 pm and was expected home at 7 pm. His wife, Barbara, reported him missing at 8 pm. Mr Mack ay's Mini van was found in the hotel car park at 2 am yesterday. It was parked nose-in against a two-metre high wooden fence in a dark corner of the car park.

Police are certain the gunmen were waiting for Mr Mackay to emerge from the hotel. There were no reports of shots about the time. Continued Page 2 PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE LIPMAN The bowed head and an air of relief that was Frederick Lincoln McDermott yesterday after he had been told that the man for whose "murder" 40 years ago he spent five years in jail died only recently in Melbourne EASY-READ MAGAZm MiiiiiiiiiiijiiijmMjiiiiiiiiiiiniiBiiii ii ii 1 1 ii 1 1 ii i ii mi moi mi iii i inn mi mini nmmmninnnniM mnimiii mmimh iim iiniiimiMi.iiiiii mum iiim inim miiniiiiiyi pjmi -HIMam jjMiiyiiiiiiniiiuiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiij LJ ULrVJ tJ lJ i 1 I 1.ff1....,R The Sun-Herald today has put its features into a new form to make tte.j easier to find and easier to read. Pages 57 to 104 are designed as a lift-out magazine in the centre of the paper. The magazine begins directly opposite the Candid Comment page.

Inside the magazine are: The colour comics and Sun-Herald Junior. Special features. Regular features such as Nature World, Fishing, Family Doctor, Crossword. The Sight Sound section with Its weekly TV guide in handy-to-keep form. Sport, In the very centre.

Each section can lift out separately for individual members pf the family to read. Children may take time to get used to their comics in the new position but they will learn to pick them out easily by their colour. At the back of the paper in unchanged position are Motoring, Around Your Home, Stan Peck's Gardening, Finance, Leslie Walford and the Women's section, together with extra features such as today's Travel section and Monthly Money-savers. WEATHER CITY: Cool, cloudy periods. Max 16 (Details, map-P147) TV P71 Latest Official audit flgurta to March It.