35

B.—lo.

ing due upon the contract. We never received a sum of £43 16s. 7d. charged to us in the county books on the 17th September, 1883, either on that or any other date. The first payment made to us in respect to this contract, No. 1 Cardrona, was £131 9s. 10d., credited in our pass-book on the 11th October, 1883. After seeing the butt of the cheque No. 442, of 23rd June, 1884, lam satisfied that the sum paid to us for extras was £6 17s. id,, and that the sum of £7 2s. Bd. which made up the £14 (the amount of the cheque) was the balance due to us on the amount of the contract. Geoege Heney Romans. This statement was made and signed in my presence. —H. Livingston, 1/2/87.

No. B.—Mr. Wm. Dayis examined, 2nd February, 1887. I was one of the firm of Welsh, Davis, and Hutton, contractors for the work on the Skipper's Eoad known as " Contract No. 4, Skipper's." Our tender for that work was accompanied by a marked cheque on the Bank of New Zealand at Arrow for the sum of £70, and a bank-note for £1, £71 in all. I produce the cheque (No. 119194), dated the 3rd August, 1883. The cheque is signed by William Welsh, and was paid out of his account. The amount of our contract was £1,634 11s. lOd. The payments to us, as credited in our pass-book, are : " 1885—March 18, To Davis, £436 155.; April 14, Lake County voucher,* £292 Is. lOd. ; July 7, County Council cheque, £777 15s. ; August 6, county order, £100 13s. 7d." I received a further sum of £24 for maintenancemoney, which was not lodged to the bank account. The cheque for £777 15s. was the final payment under the contract, and included the sum of £71, the amount of our deposit. The amount of extras on our contract was £124 13s. 7d., as set forth in the Voucher No. 202. There was a further sum of £1 paid to us for taking away a landslip. There were no other extras whatever. The sum of £72 added to the sum of £705 15s. in Voucher No. 121, and stated to be for extras, was not for extras —the sum was received by me as the refund of our deposit. This deposit was in the hands of the county from August, 1883, to July, 1885. The signature to the receipt on the Voucher No. 14, for £492 Is. 10d., is not in my handwriting. It might have been signed by Hutton. William Davis. This statement was made and signed by William Davis in my presence. —H. Livingston, 2/2/87.

No. 9. —Mr. Daniel Enbight examined, 2nd February, 1887. I live at Arrow. I was one of the partners in the firm of Courtney and Co., the contractors for the work known as the "No. 3 Skipper's Contract." The other partners were Courtney, Gibson, and Carrick. The amount of the contract was £1,503 7s. lOd. The amount of our deposit was £75 4s. It was made by a cheque on the Bank of New Zealand at Arrow, drawn by Jas. F. Healey, and was lodged with the tender about the 4th August, 1883. The total sum due to us under the contract was paid to us in the vouchers marked—No. 52, £357 7s. Bd.; No. 86, £327 155.; No. 150, £435 18s. 4d.; No. 180, £300; and No. 6, £82 6s. lOd: total, £1,503 7s. lOd. We also received a sum of £28 13s. 6d. for extras, and £75 in refund of our deposit. This sum of £75 was 4s. short of the sum due to us, and is represented by the receipt signed Gibson and Co., acknowledging the receipt of that sum, together with £28 13s. 6d., on the 26th or 27th June, 1884, at foot of the voucher numbered 99 and 108. There were no other extras than those for which we claimed, and were paid £28 13s. 6d. That sum covered all our charges for cement, culverts, retaining-walls, and an 18in. culvert extra to the contract. We never received the refund of our deposit in any other way than in the sum for which we gave a receipt on the voucher marked 99 and 108. The signature to the receipt is not in my handwriting. I suppose it was signed by one of the partners to the contract, but Ido not know which. I produce the cheque for £75 4s. paid in with our tender for the contract. Daniel Enkight. This statement was made and signed in my presence by Daniel Ennght.—H. Livingston, 2/2/87.

No. 10. Mr. W. J. Powell examined, 13th January, 1887. I was formerly Inspector of Works for the Lake County Council. I held that office from the first meeting of the Council up to the end of March, 1886. I had the superintendence of all roads and works. All works of any magnitude were done under contract. There were certain works for which funds were provided by the Government: over these works I had no control. The Kawarau Bridge, for instance, was superintended by Mr. Foster. The works under the Eoads and Bridges Construction Act were done under the superintendence of my brother, Mr. Thos. Powell, subject in some measure to my control, ho being Sub-Inspector. The signature to the Voucher No. 41 for my salary for October, 1883, is certainly not mine. I have, however, received my salary for that period. In regard to Voucher No. 206 (2/84), for £74 ss. 6d., paid Romans and Brodie for extras on Contract No. 2, Cardrona, I know nothing of the payment. Ido not know where any " extras " could have been expended: I know every inch of the road. If any such sum had been due, the claim should have been certified either by my brother or myself. It is certified by the Chairman (Mr. Daniel). I know of cases in which moneys due to men working on the roads have not been paid to this day. Homer's is one of these cases. Homer was working at the Diamond Lake. He told me that Boult came to him one day, and asked him to give him (Boult) an order to receive the wa«os due to him, and that he would then send him the cheque. Homer thereupon signed the"authority on the back of the Voucher 212 of 1/86. Boult did not send him the cheque. The amount was £9 12s. There was due to him at that time £17 4s. on Voucher 181 (1/86), on which I had myself obtained Homer's receipt when at Diamond Lake, and which I handed to Boult in the office, Captain Wing, I think, being present, with the request that he would send the cheque to Homer. There was also due to Homer at that time money on another voucher : the amount Ido

* £200: the balance of this sum was credited to the private accounts of Welsh and Davis.