THE VOUCHER INCIDENT

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1463, 23 October 1905, Page 2

THE VOUCHER INCIDENT

Commission - Curious Application <, f By. Telegraph.—Prew Association.->■■■■ .Mjkv' Welmnmos. tiiii 4ay> tip I The Audit Commission were • askcdon Saturday that the Auditor-General and j Secretary to iho Treasury should be rej quired to producu- all documents, boohs, ... 1 and vouchers of 1903 and 1901 relating to . 1 paymonts out of the public aocount or on 1 behalf of the Imperial Government, and;.; . 0 all cheques, all bank payments, and all , I.' bank orders, A long list of wimesses ps .■(■ , asked for, including a bank manager at , , Christohurcb, and the Ghristohuroh post* ' 1 master, who also was lo produce doou- . '■/ monts. The application wai made by Mr Jelli« v,- 1 ; coe, who is appearing for Mr 0 Tho commissioners, howevor, declined 1 n production of .anything not bearing on* . ■) tho vorioher'iri favour of Captain Seddon a ot and £BO for thorcorganiaa- r \ tion ,■ of defonce stores or oilier services. r, Anvthing else was inadmissible, : j e An; material '.witnesses- will be sum*d mon&l by the Commissioners. They will i. also ipsue subpoenas for, otbor witnesses upon a dtposit being handed in for expeases. They state that tbey have do 1 power to enforce the attendance of wit'flosses on any other conditional . v. , Jellicoc and (lie Bench Exhiliratiny Scene I Tlio Audit' Commission,resumed their sittings this morning in chambers. All : the counsel wera present except Jellicoe, counsel for Mr, Fisher, who said he , . had no application to aiMto in chambers, and therefore had bo call to be present. l Their Honours deoidod on the order of y procedure as follows; Tho three Governwent Departments—Audit, Treasury, and • i Defence—to opon; lhv Jellicoe to follow v ■ j for Mr. Fisher Mr. Willis, late of Christ- . church post office, then to be hoird; Dr. Q, Findlay to'fome next on behalf of Captain y Seddon. Itwasalse decided to have no . opening addresses, but to take evidenco at . Once. i Tbo opening proceedings of the Cemmis--1 sion wero enlivened'by an cncountor bo- '■ tween'Mr. Jellicdo and (ho Bench. j . Alter the latter had staled that , the - ■ ,ordrr of procedure had < been detoruained on, Mr. Jellicoe paid he desired to ask what order of reference they were working under,' and if the original order had ;. ■ . been amended, and by whom ? ■ • Judge Penniston said they were proceed-, !'• ing under.the order of. reference road in the Court. Ho had already intimated tbst ; any party to tho caio was at liberty to : inspect it. 3", Mr Jellicoo ondeavoured to argue the twitter, but the Court refused to hear *■: 10 him. ; .. Then he asked to be allowed to make an . application in regard to the interpretation of tho order of reference, and the Court h ruled that any such application must be v ; : . in inado in writing They had sottlod all y those riibtters in Chambers. Mr Jollicoe e . bad been notified, and did not ohoose to bo w present, end they would not have thorn •, . ; fu argued now. i #j "Upon counsel persisting, he was ordered. .■; ;h to sit down, and did so,, saying he might as : ns well leave tho' Court, altogether if the y, Bohch declined to hear him, Mr.Slierrett was proceeding, to oall the . ■,, ; < first witnesc, whou Mr Jellicoe asked that . 1 ). alt witnesses should bo ordered out :■ Ctiurt, r v |, Af'er somo • consultation the' Bench 0, agreed to this. ■. • . . . jt ■ Mr Jollicoo then asked for reaaonalr j. time to enable hiui to put in writing,* io notice of motion of urgenoy before Mr . . !l 'Skerrett proceeded; with his examination, . , : v. 1, . This led to another skirmish betwoan • (1 the Bench and Bar, which ended in the ■■■■■' .: : -t o Commissioners practically ' declining to ■ e aocedo to Mr Jelliooe's request, and then ,0 the first witness takon. The first witness called was Robert v Williams, assistant aocountant in : tho hofence Depattment. He desetibei a 3 the system of,voucher paymonts, and the . i.jjv ohecks employed, ; Mr. Jellicoe asked, if the Department's books roferred to wero aviiilable forinspe'e- ' tiou. ' ■ Tho Commission said ho could only inspect tliepnrtjoular entry, not the whole , : contents of tho books. Mr, Skerrett, for the Department, said a he had no objection to tha inspection of \ 0 the whole contents if the inspection was a made under thesupervision.of.the comr mission. . 1 . Mr, Jollicoo; lam thankful evon for - small crumb.'; • Tha witness was'baing furthoroxamined ; as to whether tho books disclosed any payj : •' ment to Captain Seddon, for reorganising • . • : : thodofencostoroß,when Mr,.Jollicoo in-. terruptoJ and said, "This is secondary r; evidence. The books should bo allowed to /:■ speak for themselves." They were thore to !•: $• show that the Bysto'ip of audit was simply , a farce and that tho door was opened to ■ fraud, . ; v ; Tho Court insisted tbot'Mri Jellicoe should confine himself to the legal'aspect 1 cf hia contention, whichthey ■ eventually I ruled against him. - • Witness eaid thore was no traoo of such payment to Captain''Seddon, The evidono9 is proceeding, ' I The Post-Ollice Officials Coitimissjon's Finding y , Grave Breach ,of the Regulations ' The report of the inquiry re tho charges • ■ flgauißtthsOhristchuroh.Fo3t'Oilioe offi- , . ;>■ cials was laid oa tho table of the House* . , this morning, The Commissioners find that Messrs', . -m Willis, larcomb, aid West committed a ' . c > gravo broach of the, Eegulation?. Kfo.. 42 of the Post ana Telegraph Bcqula- \ .-■< tions provides that " No otlicer may make ' pnblio aay oilioial communication whioh ho may" receive.' 'Willi i'' regard to the fidolity declaration' - made by Willis when he enterod tho ser-., ' vice, tbo Commissioners are inolmnd to- , • the opinion that a breach thoroof had not \ been established). Tho evidence disolosed that Willis waß - throughout the prime> , inoyer iri thci.matior complained of, 'The* ,• t commissioners venturo . to • express thai opinion that Willis's ellenees aro much) i, h more serious than those of the pthot oers,