13 ll.— No. 11

The persons present then retired, in order that the Committee might discuss the question of adjournment with closed doors, and .after the lapse of half an hour they were summoned to return. The Chairman (addressing Mr. Ollivier) : The Committee have decided to assent ito your application, if the House gives permission to do so, to adjourn until Thursday morning at half-past 10 o'clock. I shall make the application on the meeting of the House to-day ; and if it does not assent to the adjournment, we must meet to-morrow morning at half-past 10 o'clock, and proceed with the inquiry. Mr. Allan: Then I understand that if the House does not grant the adjournment till Thursday, the Committee will stand adjourned until to-morrow morning at half-past 10 o'clock. The Chairman: Tes, that is the conclusion to which the Committee have arrived. The Committee then adjourned. Thursday, 7th September, 1871. The Committee met at half-past 10 o'clock. Mr. Brandon in the Chair. Mr. Allan appeared for the petitioner, Mr. Charles Parker; and Mr. Travers for the sitting Member, Sir David Monro. Minutes of last sitting read and confirmed. The Chairman : Before proceeding with the case, I would suggest to the Committee that wo adopt certain rules which are generally adopted in Parliamentary Committees at home. [Reads the rules.] The Committee decided to adopt the rules. Mr. Travers : I have not as yet received a copy of the list of objected voters. The Chairman : I understood that you had been furnished with the list. Mr. Allan : I thought the list had been sent in ; it will be sent in during the day. Mr. Travers : I do not understand it. Mr. Allan : I directed a copy to be made out and given to my learned friend. The Chairman : Application ought to have been made for the names. It would be convenient for Major Campbell to get oax&j as early as possible. Will you call upon him, Mr. Allan, to produce what documents you want ? Mr. Allan : We want the papers which were referred to in the various clauses of the Act of last year, establishing the ballot and regulating the way in which the ballot is to be proceeded with. The Chairman : Do you mean the books ? Mr. Allan : I mean the books and parcels made up after the election by the Returning Officer, as required by clauses 53 and 54 of the Act and clause 60, which provides that the parcels should be sent by the Returning Officer to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. We want Major Campbell to produce the books and papers that have been forwarded to him by the Returning Officer for the Electoral District of Motueka, in reference to the election of a Member to servo in the present Parliament. Mr. Travers : You want produced the sealed packets ; of what good arc they ? Mr. Allan : They are of use as evidence. Major E. E. Campbell, Clerk of the House of Representatives, examined. Major Campbell: I am Clerk of the House of Representatives. I produce tho papers received from the Returning Officer for the Motueka Electoral District. By Mr. Allan : You received those papers in due course from the Returning Officer ?—I received them through the post from the Returning Officer. By Mr. Travers :Do you know that ho was the Returning Officer ? —I received them through the post from a person signing himself as the Returning Officer. The Chairman indorsed the four packets produced, which were marked A, B, C, D, respectively. Major Campbell: I would like to be allowed to make a statement to the Committee. I saw in one of the newspapers published here that Counsel had stated that I was unwilling to produce the documents. I addressed a letter to that gentleman, who did not deny the printed statement. I wish to state that I have never, in any way or by any word that I have spoken, given tho slightest colouring or pretext for such a statement as that. I may also say that myself and the other officers of the House are always ready to appear before any Committee when required to do so. Mr. Allan : If that is intended to apply to me, I may state that I never charged any person with unwillingness. The words I used were that I understood the officials would not come before the Committee without a subponna, and that is why I applied for the subpoena. Major Campbell: I could not, under the Act, produce tho documents without first receiving an order to do so. Mr. Fitzherbert: That statement should bo taken down, so as to protect the Clerk of the House against any charge of that sort. The Chairman : The Committee are perfectly satisfied that there was no unwillingness whatever on the part of Major Campbell to produce the documents. Mr. Allan : If it is any satisfaction to Major Campbell, I may say that I never mado any imputation against him or any one else ; I simply stated that the officials would not come without subpoenas, and therefore I applied for them. The Chairman : I saw the report, and it gave another and quite a different version of what took place. Mr. Allan: I never intended to impute motives or anything else. I said that in due course I would have to apply to the Chairman for subpoenas, as I understood those gentlemen would not come without subpoenas. I was obliged to do so. _

sth Sept., 1871.

7th Sept., 1871.

I'ide Proceedings.

Major Campbell. 7th Sept., 1871.

REPORT OF THE MOTUEKA ELECTION COMMITTEE.