H.—No. 14,

34

REPORT OF THE MOTUEKA ELECTION COMMITTEE.

Mr. Sixtus.

9th Sept., 1871.

Mr. Ducker.

9th Sept., 1871,

Did you determine amongst yourselves that, unless your expenses were paid by somebody, you would not go down and vote at all ? —Well, Kerr made the promise to us that our expenses would be paid. Mr. Travers .- You are not answering the question. By the Chairman : Had you all made up your minds not to go down and vote at all for either one candidate or the other unless your expenses would be paid ? —No, we wouldn't have come down unless our expenses had been paid ; we wouldn't have come down to vote for either candidate. By Mr. Allan: You made up your minds not to vote, and you saw David Kerr who promised your expenses, and you were to vote for Monro ? —Yes. Mr. Travers: No, my friend is not to put the contract into the mouth of the witness. The Chairman : He said he would not have come down unless the expenses were to be paid. Mr. Travers: If my friend will look at the evidence of the witness he will see that he did not know that there was an election on until David Kerr spoke to him first. (To witness) Was that so ? —Yes. Mr. Bunny : He also states that he did not know Parker was a candidate until he arrived at the Waimea. That is already down. Witness withdrew. The Chairman: I must take notice of the statement in the Independent to-day in connection with this point. The Independent has made me say : " I think, Mr. Allan, if you cannot bring something more in the shape of bribery, it is not worth going on." I said nothing of the sort. What I stated was that, if the witnesses Mr. Allan proposed to call would not speak to anything beyond what was stated by Bosselmann, was it worth while to call those witnesses ? Mr. Travers : Yes, that was substantially what I understood you to state. The Chairman : The report was a gross error. Mr. Allan : What you stated was exactly what I stated, and the Committee stated that it would be only taking up your time to repeat evidence given so fully. The Chairman: And beyond which the other witnesses could not go. I am made to say, in the Independent, that I suggested it was no use going on ; what I stated was quite the reverse. Mr. Travers: It was made to appear as if you stated there was no case. The Chairman : What I stated was quite the reverse. Frederick Ducker sworn and examined, through Mr. Baucke, Interpreter. By Mr. Allan : You live at Moutere ? —Yes. Are you a registered elector for Motueka district ?—Yes. Were you one of the twelve Germans working at Kerr's Hill ?—Yes. Before the 10th of February last, do you remember a person of the name of David Kerr coming to you and the other eleven ?—Yes. Did he say anything to you about an election that was going to take place for Motueka ?—Yes. What did he say ? —-He said to me, personally, if we would go down to vote for Sir David Monro ? By Mr. Travers : Did he speak in German ? —No, in English. By Mr. Allan : What did you state to that, when he asked you to go down to vote for Sir David Monro ? —The first answer I gave was, that it was too far for them to go down to vote. What did Kerr say in answer to that ?—Kerr said, if he would pay them for their trouble, would they then go down ? Kerr said that to me. If we would go then, he would pay for it. When he asked you that question, what did you say ?—" Yes," was my reply. Was anything said to you afterwards, before the 10th February, about going down ? —I am not quite certain of the day you refer to—of the 10th February. Before the election, did any arrangement take place between you and Kerr, as to going down to the election ? —No, there was no arrangement made. He said he did not know when the election should take place. But before the election ?T-This person came down and asked me before the election took place ; he made an arrangement with me ; but previous to that nothing had taken place—no understanding on my part whether I would vote for Sir David Monro. By the Chairman : How many times had Kerr seen you about the matter ?—I had only seen him on one occasion. By Mr. Allan : Was there any agreement with Kerr on that occasion when you saw him about your going down to vote ? —Yes, on that occasion an agreement was understood. On that occasion when you saw Kerr, what agreement was made about your going down to vote for Monro ?—I first replied that it would not pay to go down. Kerr replied that we should get paid for going down. I then said, How should we get back again ? Then Kerr said that the cart was coming back. Was it agreed then for whom you were to vote ? Mr. Travers .- Do not put the question in that way. By Mr. Allan : Was anything said about whom you were to vote for that day ?—lt was distinctly understood that we had to vote for Sir David Monro. Well, now, did you afterwards go down to Waimea West, to where the election was going on, on the 10th February ? —Yes, for that purpose only I went down. After you went down on the 10th February, did you see a person of the name of William Bell when you came to the place ? —Yes. Did William Bell say anything to you ? —He asked me if I came down from the working place at Kerr's Hill, and I said, " Yes." When you said " yes," did Bell say anything to you as to voting ?—I asked Bell if he had spoken to Bosselmann.