11.—38

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frequently in Auckland during the interval between handing in the document to be stamped and his departure from Onehunga in February, 1870.

Friday, 27th August, 1874. Mr. C. T. Batkin examined. 111. The Chairman.] Were you the Deputy Commissioner of Stamps in 1872 ?—Tes. 112. Who was then in charge of the Wellington office ?—Mr. Brandon was chief clerk. 113. Whose duty would it be then to open letters received from branch offices containing documents to be stamped ? —At that time the chief clerk. 114. Do you recollect, in 1869, an agreement between Mr. Swanson and Mr. Cary being forwarded to Wellington to be stamped ?—I remember hearing afterwards that such a document had come to the office. 115. At what time did you first hear of this document?—l am scarcely able to sa,y further than this: I know that when it was first brought to my knowledge it had been thirteen months in the office. 116. AVhat is the usual course when a document of that sort is received from a branch office ? Is it recorded, or how is it dealt with? —The document is usually accompanied by a letter from the office at which it was originally received. It is then stamped, and transmitted to the office from whence it came. 117. Is it a rule of the department that an officer transmitting a document to be stamped at Wellington must send a letter as well as the requisition ?—He should do so, but there is no written rule on the subject. 118. What are the rules of the department with regard to recording these documents when they are received? —If the. document was transmitted in the regular way, with a covering letter, that letter would be recorded. 119. But in case of one that is not accompanied by a letter, but only by a requisition?—lt would be very apt to be lost sight of altogether, from the simple circumstance that it was not accompanied by a letter. There was nothing to show that this was not presented over the counter. 120. In that case, there is no record taken of the document after it arrives in Wellington?— No. 121. And if a requisition happens to get lost, there is in fact no record to show that the document is in existence, or how it has been dealt with? —No document can be stamped unless it passes through certain books. The money received for stamp duty must be entered in the stamper's books, so that it would not be altogether without record. 122. Was this document entered in the stamper's books at the time it was stamped ?—I have no doubt it was. 123. What would bo the nature of the entry in those books ?—Merely that the stamper had affixed a stamp of a certain value on a particular document on a certain day. 124. Would the names of the parties be given ?—Tes. 125. Well, it is a record of the document having been stamped ?—Tes. 126. Then you say it was the duty of the chief clerk to open any letter that came containing a document to be stamped? —Tes. 127. Would he hand it direct to the stamping officer ?—No. He would see that the money or stamps transmitted were sufficient to pay the duty, and, having examined it on that point, he would notify that he had so examined it, and then he would hand it to me, because no stamp was over made without my written authority. 128. And this course was adopted in this particular instance ? —I have no doubt it was. 129. Whose duty was it, after the document had been stamped, to return it to the place from whence it came ? —The chief clerk's. 130. Why was not this document returned after having been stamped ? —ln this particular case, this document having come with a requisition, and not with a letter, it was the chief clerk's duty to have taken special care to see that when stamped it was returned. 131. Why was not this done?—l have no idea. 132. Has any inquiry been made into the matter?—Tes. It has not been ascertained in what manner the document came into the office. It was believed by the record clerk to have been handed over the counter by Mr. Crawford himself when he was in Wellington on his way to England. 133. Is that still the belief in the office ? —I think it is. Ido not know that anything has transpired to disturb that notion. 134. Are you aware that Mr. Crawford came down here some months after this document was stamped in Wellington ? It appears in evidence that Mr. Crawford did not leave Auckland for Wellington on his way to England until some months after the document had been stamped in Wellington ?—I did not know that. 135. Therefore it appears impossible that he could have brought it down ?—Mr. Hickson's impression was that he did so. 136. It appears then that this omission was caused by the neglect of the chief clerk, in not seeing that it was sent back after it was stamped? —Tes, so far as the office is concerned. 137. Apart from this requisition, was there any record in the Auckland office of the document having been received at Auckland to be transmitted to Wellington ? —I do not know ; I presume there must have been, because I have learned that they told Mr. Swanson repeatedly that tho document had been sent to Wellington. 138. Is there any recorded evidence in the Auckland office of any letter having been written to Wellington with respect to this document having been sent ?—I do not know.