33

H.—9a.

the vouchers for the month of December, including Clarke and Co.'s contract for mill-site. Those vouchers lay in my office for a considerable time, on account of the non-arrival of the steamer. Some signed and some did not. Mr. Nightingale reported to me that the mill-site was still unfinished, and the voucher remained in my office until the day before the steamer sailed. It was near the end of January. That evening, or the morning that the steamer left, Mr. Nightingale came into my office and told me he was authorized to sign the voucher for Clarke and Co. I think he took the voucher into the store and signed it, and brought it back again signed. At any rate I did not see him siiin it. I remember distinctly that Mr. Nightingale took the voucher out of the office and brought it back signed. I also remember Mr. Nightingale telling me that he had asked the men to come in and sign before the steamer left, but the steamer coming in unexpectedly they had not time, or something of the sort. A day or two afterwards Zielian and Clarke came into my office, when I paid Zielian the money due to him, deducting from the amount his balance due on store account; and the whole of Clarke's I deducted. Clarke objected to this, when I showed him how the money had been disposed of in his pass-book. He objected to the arrangement. I then reminded him of his agreement with me when working at the school contract. He said he thought he should have got some of the money, as he was quite out of money. The agreement I refer to was made between Clarke, Beveridge, and myself, that if they were allowed to keep tho whole of the money from the school contract to buy cattle I should have the next money Clarke earned; otherwise, I told him, he could not have goods from the store. Clarke agreed to this, and in consequence he was allowed to draw the whole of the money for the school contract without anything being credited to his store account. This took place in my office or store two months before. When done with this contract the mill-site contract was taken. Clarke's store-bill was not cleared off by the stoppage of this £10. A balance of £6 16s. lOd. was left against him afterwards. I was under the impression at the time that Clarke was trying to run ou till after the new regulations for stores, Ac, came into operation in January. Before the accounts closed I made all the efforts I could to get all in and settled. I think I told parties to contracts previous that I wished them finished by the end of December, so as to square up accounts as near as possible. I hand in a letter of instruction from the Hon. Mr. Bonar. [Letter No. 353, 27th April, 1877.] Up to 1878 the rents were not included in back debts. The settlers got up a memorial, and I agreed not to collect any more rents until I heard from the Government. The Government agreed up to January to make the rents back debts. With regard to cheques payable for work done for survey parties it was arranged that I should be the countersigning officer, so as to be able to stop money for stores. The saw-mill contract was Government work. It was a very usual thing to send vouchers out of my office to be signed. Perhaps two-thirds were signed so. Vouchers are often taken out of my office and signed in the store or elsewhere. The vouchers lay a length of time in my office often, wanting signatures. The Okuru and Waiatoto vouchers quite likely went up monthly to be signed. I was aware the saw-mill contract was not finished nearly so soon as it could have been. I told Mr. Nightingale repeatedly to hurry on the work. I might have been there the latter end of January. I do not remember whether I made any complaints about delay or not. I am not aware of using any influence over Mr. Nightingale to sign the voucher for Clarke's contract, nor did I use any influence in respect to it. I did not, as Eesident Agent, make deductions from settlers at their own choice. If I had done so I could have deducted none at all. I very likely asked settlers if I should deduct moneys or not. Some settlers paid their rent in cash sometimes. I supplied boots to settlers in Jackson's Bay on my private account. Thomas Beveridge sworn and examined. I was mate with Clarke in the schoolhouse contract. I never heard any conversation about the mode of payment between Clarke and Mr. Macfarlane. I never heard Clarke make any remarks about any understanding with Mr. Macfarlane about the payment. We were, I think, close on three months on the school contract. We got our stores from the store. I paid part of the contract-money for the stores I received. Eobert yon Lipinski sworn and examined. I know Franz Max's house. Max did not agree to sell it to me. Mr. Macfarlane gave me possession of it when Max was away. I took the house the same way other houses were parted with. Mr. Macfarlane said I must pay £29 for it. I wras willing to pay this for it, but it was not possible for me to live in it, because I should be drowned with my wife and children in it. I never signed anything about the house. I never knew that in February, 1879, £14 9s. 3d. was transferred from Max's account to mine. I never spoke to Max about the house, because we are not close friends. I have bought the house through Mr. Macfarlane for £29, and paid £14 9s. 3d., charged against me in my pass-book. The statement made by Mr. Macfarlane as regards the debiting me with £14 9s. 3d., and paying to Max £15 195., being agreed to by me, is not correct. I did not sign the petition. I have no complaints to make whatever. I would ask if I cannot be taken away, as I have a large family, and I cannot get work, and lam destitute of everything. I worked at all sorts of work. I have been lately in the Haast. I would like to go to Taranaki. My mates say that a living can be made there. I have a cow. I would have worked till now if they would have given me work at the Haast, I left the Haast because I could not venture to take a contract for the kind of work required, blasting, &c. I did ask for work, but there was no work for wages. Mr. Nightingale told me there was no day-work, and I could not do the quarrying and blasting. In tw renty-seven days at tho Haast it has cost me £4 lis. to live. Martin Klempel recalled. I signed the petition, but I did not understand the meaning of it, and they would not translate it to me ; so I did not know anything about it. I wanted my name struck out, aud said I would have nothing to do with it. It was August Eosenausky who came to my house and asked me to sign it. He came by himself. Eosenausky said he could not wait, and he would come back and translate it to me. Ido not know to-day what is in the petition. I was told that the effect of the petition would be that it would bring plenty of money into the place and plenty of work, and we should be all right. Eose* 5—H. 9a.