I.—2a

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cover that was used for the transmission of the bank-book on the business of the department. 333. Mr. Gully.] That is, with a printed superscription ?—Yes ; "On public service only." 334. Mr. Joyce.] You say you sent the first telegram after posting the letter? —.Before posting the letter asking Mr. Kirkcaldie, her employer, to break the news to her. 335. Did you get a reply?— No. 336. The Chairman.] Were there two letters?— There was a second letter in a separate cover, which we lost sight of for the time being. 337. When was it posted ?—I am not certain. I believe it was at the same time: either at that time or the following day. I believe that this letter that was posted would cojivey information that it was undesirable that a certain third person should get hold of. Probably, in my anxiety about that I overlooked the other letter altogether.

, • Fbiday, 6th Septembee, 1889. Mr. Kibkcaldib further examined. 338. Mr. Hutchison.] "Will you tell the Committee of the matter you hesitated to refer to yesterday ?—I will; hut I may say I have the same hesitation as yesterday. 339. The Chairman."] That is, the matter Mr. Gully asked you in reference to yesterday ?—lt is. [Witness produced a draper's common counter check-book, and continued:] Miss Prince does not quite understand the nature of the matter in question. I have never brought the matter before her. Each of these books is handed to the salesman. They contain fifty checks, with duplicates. If anything is written on these it is transcribed here. [Place referred to.] Each check of these is torn and entered by the salesman in his book. The sum is added up and- checked with the cashbook. That is kept by Ida Prince or the cashier. Each brings a book, and they must correspond with the cash-book. Upon the particular occasion now before the Committee one of my salesmen brought his book. It was totted up, and a mistake of 10s. was found which could not be rectified then. But the following morning he found the discrepancy, and he called my attention to it, and went for a magnifying glass. He then pointed out to me that there had been an erasure there. 340. Mr. Hutchison.] Have you got the original check?—l have'not. I will explain that I never asked her about the discrepancy of 10s. in the cash. There had been an erasure, and my salesman called my attention to it, and I saw the roughness over the amount. With that I wrote to Mr. Eose asking him to come and see me. I told him the matter. He was positive of the innocence of Ida Prince, and, as I stated yesterday, totally reversed the opinion I had before I saw him. The result was that it was never mentioned to Miss Prince or to anybody else. It has never been cleared up. The matter stands there to-day. As I say there was the evidence of the deficiency in the cash-book, and up to to-day it has never been cleared up. Ido not make any charge against Miss Prince nor against the salesman, Mr. Thompson. He has been in my employment some eighteen or nineteen years. There was the case. The Chairman : Miss Prince knew nothing of this thing before : am I to understand that it is possible that Mr. Thompson might be the culprit in this matter? I cannot see why this should be imported into the matter at all. 341. Mr. Joyce.] Would you have discharged her but for Mr. Eose coming down ?—I cannot say what would have been the case if Mr. Eose had not come down. 342. Mr. Hutchison.] If the matter had not been stopped where it was stopped, you would no doubt have given an opportunity to Miss Prince of being heard?—lt never came to that. 343. Mr. Gully.] Mr. Eose visited you on this matter, and intervened on Miss Prince's behalf ? —Yes. 344. Was Miss Prince aware of that ? —No. 345. Mr. Ward.] Has Miss Prince been in your employment since?— Yes. 346. Any discrepancy'since ?—No. 347. No irregularities of the kind since? —I have not known of any. 348. Mr. Joyce.] The fact remains that you are the loser by 10s. ?—Yes. 349. And it lies between Mr. Thompson, who has been in your employment eighteen or nineteen years, and Miss Prince?—l do not know. I have made the statement. 350. It was Thompson who complained of the mistake in the cash-book ?—He saw the book did not correspond with his book in the desk; and, asking for the checks, he traced the irregularity, and brought it under my notice. 351. Then, from information received, you were going to adopt the ordinary method of removing some one from your establishment: that is why you communicated with Miss Prince's guardian ?—Yes. 352. How long had she been in your employment at that time? —I cannot tell. 353. She could not tell ? —She would know very well, as the matter was discussed between her and Mr. Thompson ; but, from the manner in which it was viewed afterwards, it never came to her notice. 354. Well, then, I understood you to say yesterday that, in consequence of Mr. Eose seeing you and giving you a good opinion of Miss Prince, your ideas of her integrity in every way completely changed?— The result was that my views were reversed by Mr. Eose's interview. 355. And everything went on smoothly ?—Yes. 356. The Chairman.] After this occurrence one would be naturally more careful: did you take any extra precaution after this occurred ? —I did not think it necessary. Everything was checked. 357. Nothing occurred to cause you to increase your'vigilance?—No. The cash is always, as a rule, gone into by myself, and the book.is checked by these checks and by the cash-book. 358. You had no fault to find with Miss Prince afterwards ?—None whatever.