AN INQUIRY.

A SOLDIER'S NATIONALITY,

(Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 22. A question as to the nationality of | Lieutenant Alexander Hugh Grierson, of the Tenth Reinforcements, was the subject of an inquiry before Mr A. D. Thomson, Assistant Public Service i Commissioner, acting in his capacity as a Royal 'Comission to-day. Mr P. S. K. Macassoy, of tho Crown Law Office, represented the Crown, Mr T. Neave appeared for Lieutenant Grierson, and Mr T. M. Wilfor". lor Madamo Boeufve and'Mr J. Payne, M.P. Lieutenant Grierson, swomi, said in answer to Mr Neave, that ho was born at Southampton, England, and he produced his certificate "of birth, showing that his father was a solicitor named Hugh Kirkpatrick Grierson. His mother's name was Emma Gater. She was English. His father was born in Cheshire, England, and his grandfather was born in Scotland. Ho would produce a witness to that effect. His mother's father was John Gater, of Southampton. He produced a passport signed by the British Consul at Stuttgart, Wurtemburg, in August, 1913, stating that ho was a. British subject. He was then going 'on a trip through tho Black Forest arid was advised that a British passport would be advisable. John Creswcll Grierson, uncle of the previous witness, said he was an accountant, and managing a building society in Auckland. "He had been in that province sinco 1877. Lieutenant Grierson's father was his younger brother. Witness's father was.born in the south of Scotland, went to England, and died in Cheshire,, about 1904, at the ago of 90. His mother was born in Lancashire, near Manchester, and lived in England all her life. He had never met Lieutenant Grierson's mother, but he. knew she'wa.s a Miss Gater, and he had heard that she came from a family which had lived in the same house at Southampton for 300 years. .There was not the slightest trace of foreign .blood in tho family on either side going back for many hundreds of years. The name of Grierson was derived from tho name of McGregor. Grierson was tho softened lowland pronunciation. Agnes Murphy, boarding-house kcepler, Hill Street, said she had been in charge of "Chatsworth" for, 13 years. Lieutenant Grierspn stayed thero as a boarder prior to the breaking out of the war in August, ,1914. He had been thoro since April 30 of that year, hho remembered June 2 prior to the war, the day 'before tho King's Birthday. Grierson was referred to in the' house as "the German." The Commissioner: You have heard him called that? Witness: Oh, yes. Ho never denied

. 'Mr Wilford: Who brought him to your place? ; " • Mr ■ Focko^. son oi: the German. Consul in Wellington, by whom he was employed. On June 2, while Jit dinner, Grierson asked why they were having a holiday on the following day. Witness said: "For tho King's birthday.' Ho said: "Why should wo havo a holiday for tho King?" Witness "said: "You. haven't got a King. You only havo a Kaiser." "No," ho said, "we have an Emperor.' Witness replied, "Oh, I forgot you have an Emperor. I thought it was Kaiser." Grierson was known a-s "the German"- in the house. His books .wore mostly German. There wore also some French books. After ho- left she found postcards showing Germans "Der Tag" and bearing' iron crosses. She furnished Madame Beeufyo with the information she had just given. Mr Grierson in a letter to her said: "You can. show this to the boys, and they will see from it that I am*no German." She had since destroyed that letter.

The* inquiry wa.s adjourned till tomorrow.