Page image

29

1.—2

773. Tou call Tauranga a town ? —Tes. More than half the electors are Maoris. 774. Do you speak Maori ?—Tes. 775. There are some Maoris at Tauranga ?—Tes. 776. Did you canvass the Maori votes ? —Tes. 777. Did you solicit their votes at Tauranga, or at their settlements? —At their settlements generally. 778. Did you never meet any in Tauranga ?—Tes. 779. How many puhlic-houses at Tauranga are there ? —Two. 780. And did you take them into those public-houses?—l do not think so. 781. Not once ?—No ; I do not recollect having done so. 782. Did you "shout" for any other electors? —I never come into Tauranga without "shouting," whether there was an election or not. 783. Did you generally have a conversation with a man, and then take him into the public-house and " shout" for him ? —No ; I had read the Act. 784. And endeavoured to keep clear of it ?—Tes. 785. Did you canvass the "Wairoa ?—No. 786. There are some electors there ?—Tes; there are two or three white people there. 787. Tou did not canvass that place ? —No ; I asked one man, Fairfax Johnson, whether he would vote for me. 788. What did he say ? —He said he had not made up his mind as to whom he would vote for. 789. Had you an agent at Tauranga ? —I had a committee. 790. Did you not have a paid agent ? —No. A meeting of the electors was held at the rear of one of the public-houses, and a committee was formed. I did not pick a single member; they were appointed by themselves, without any interference from me. 791. But they were duly,appointed; and it was not like the committee at Gisborne, where every man appointed himself ?—They did appoint themselves. 792. But, I presume, no new man would be appointed unless the others agreed ?—No ; names were submitted, and had to be approved. 793. Did you attend any meetings of that committee ?—I do not think I did • I would not be quite certain. 794. Where did the committee sit? —They had rooms on the Strand. 795. At whose house ?—I do not know. 796. At which hotel was it that the committee was chosen ?—At the Tauranga, I think. 797. Did they meet at that hotel after they were appointed ? —No. Immediately they were appointed, they got rooms, issued placards, and so on. 798. Who paid for that ?—-I believe the cost was included in the expenses I had to pay after the election. 799. Did you see any public-house account in the bill of costs forwarded to you ? —No ; the accounts were scheduled. 800. Have you got that schedule with you now ?—No. 801. Can you tell us the names of any persons who received money ? —Tes; I dare say I can remember some. Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Baker were among the number. 802. Was any payment made to persons acting on your behalf?—l think the only paym&nts made were to scrutineers. 803. Were any persons paid for soliciting votes ?—No. 804. Tou know Wairnapu? —Tes. 805. Are there any electors living there ? —-One. I canvassed his vote across the river. He lives the other side, and I asked him across the river if he would give me his vote, being a neighbour. 806. Who was this gentleman ? —Mr. Fielding. 807. What was the name of the public-house at which your committee put up ?—The Tauranga. 808. Was there any drinking on that occasion? —I suppose all had something, more or less. 809. Who paid for it ?—By the people themselves. They "shouted" one for the other. If any one was near me, I " shouted " for them. 810. Tou recollect no individual ? —No. 811. Most in the room were electors ?—Probably they were. I wish to explain that when I mentioned £700 yesterday, that included law expenses. 812. What you told us yesterday about the seat in the Legislative Council, and about the £250, or whatever sum it might be, was correct ? —Tes; perfectly correct.