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64. And did you make no remonstrance at that ?—I did. 65. In what manner?—Amongst the shareholders. 66. Did you direct any remonstrance to the directors ? —I might have done. I did not write to them directly. 67. Do you remember the circular of the sth April, 1887, in which it states that in view of the largely-increasing volume of the company's business the directors have decided to call up additional capital ?—Yes. 68. This was a circular to call up capital, and the call follows after the taking of tnis Mercantile Union Association?—l did not know they had acquired it. 69. After getting that circular did not you direct any remonstrances to the directors ? —Oh, no. 70. Further in your report you say, " I want to show a decided improvement in the company," and you quote the Chairman's remarks referring to 1887, in reference to the year being a most disastrous one for the company. This is the year to which Mr. Cargill refers in his letter put in on Saturday. You stated in your evidence that you had not been allowed a vote, on the ground that the calls had not been paid ?—I did put them in, but they were thrown out. 71. You admit from time to time getting circulars placing particular stress on the articles of association ? —Yes. 72. You talk of a meeting being called in an " unusual way." What do you mean by that ?— We did not get the notice until after the meeting was held. 73. Can you say that no circulars were sent out?—-I can swear that every shareholder in the Town of Hokitika did not get one. 74. You emphasize " unusual," but do you know that, according to the articles of association, the only duty of the directors is to call meetings by advertisement ?—Yes. 75. Why do you take exception then?—Because they had not done it before. 76. You admit that they did their duty?—They might have put it in some country paper hundreds of miles away. 77. There are shareholders in every part of the colony? There may be some in England?—l will admit they are all over the colony. 78. What notification in the paper would be sufficient ?—Well, it would be necessary to send advertisements to the papers all over the colony. 79. Then it would be better to send circulars ?—Yes. 80. One of your main grievances is the increase of directors' fees? —Yes. 81. You might have got a report of proceedings in which the directors' fees were raised and may not have noticed it ? —I cannot say. 82. Will you say you did not ?—I will not bind myself to that. 83. If Mr. Callan is prepared to show that a report of proceedings of the meeting at which these fees were increased was sent to every shareholder will you deny it ?—I cannot say. 84. You will not say you never got such a report ?—I cannot say. My attention was never drawn to it till six years afterwards. 85. If it had been mentioned in the report, and you had read it, your attention would have been drawn to it ?—Yes. 86. With regard to these assertions with reference to Mr. Guthrie : are you prepared to bring any charge whatever against Mr. Guthrie, as having used his position as director in any way to effect this insurance, and get this £4,000 ?—I make no charge against Mr. Guthrie. 87. Did you not make a charge that Mr. Guthrie violated his position with the object of getting £4,000 ?—No. 88. Do you know of Mr. Guthrie's dealings with the company in connection with moneys he has drawn? —I do not single him out. 89. You say in your petition that your petitioners also discovered that the directors illegally departed from the prospectus of the association. I suppose in a question of law you would not set your opinion against that of Justice Williams ?—No, I would not. 90. If Justice Williams decided that it was not illegal for the directors to carry on business outside of the colony, you would not say it was illegal ?—I would not be bound by Justice Williams —only by Court of Appeal of the Privy Council. 91. Do you know of the case Gray v. the Equitable Insurance Company ?—I never heard of it. 92. If I tell you that on reference to a certain book in the public library you can obtain information which agrees with what I am telling you, will you admit that you are in the wrong ? — lam not satisfied with the decision. The law may be right. Ido not know how this case was put before the Judge. 93. With regard to the meeting you called at Dunedin, you say you failed to get one satisfactory answer; and then you say you only put one question, and that was answered in the affirmative. What do you mean ?—I put more than one question, and I got an answer only to one. 94. Now you say that no balance-sheet of the life department ever appeared after 1887?—I did not get one. 95. Why did not you apply for the balance-sheet of 1888 ?—I could not tell you. I might have been from home ; I do not know. 95a. Do you want to know anything more about this £5,000 given to the Government, or do you know, as a matter of fact, that the Government holds this as a security as long as the association is carried on ?—Not to my knowledge. 96. Do you know if the liquidator has made an application for its release ?—I do not know. I only wanted it shown in the balance-sheet. 97. Is your grievance, regarding the ejection of the reporter, against the shareholders or the directors ? —lt was due in the first place to the directors. I went down in answer to their " court inquiry," and so as to get the matter made public; but I was stopped on every side.