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I.—2a

216. You only had one set of ballot-papers printed ?—The contract for ballot-papers stipulated the local-option papers were to be printed as well. 217. Did the printer ever print ballot-papers with Mr. Phillips's name on as one of the candidates ?—He never did so with my instructions. 218. You never saw any ?—No. 219. Are you sure, Mr. Armstrong?— Yes. You can produce the printer, and find out. 220. You knew Mr. Phillips was a candidate for this electorate before you fixed the date of nomination?— Certainly ; I did my best to get nomination-papers, and if I had got them I would have sent one to Mr. Phillips. 221. Did you know where Mr. Phillips was between the Friday you received the writ and the Wednesday you fixed for the nomination-day ?—I was told he passed through Carterton on the Monday that the advertisement appeared in the Standard. He spoke that night at the Taueru, where he would see the Wairarapa Star, in which the advertisement was. The Star would come out on Saturday, and reach there, and he would see it. 222. Do you know now that you made an error, that you may have illegally closed the nomination of candidates on the 25th?—No; I do not know I closed it contrary to the Act. 223. Do you still think that you complied with the Act ? —Yes. 224. The Chairman.] Where was the principal polling-booth?—At Carterton. 225. How far is Taueru from Carterton? —Assuming there are nine miles from Carterton to Masterton, Taueru is only nine miles past. 226. I understood you to say that the mail to some of these polling-booths, at the greatest distance from the central polling-booth, closed on Thursday night, and left early on the following morning ?—Yes ; Pahaua, Waipawa, and Pirinoa. 227. It would be necessary, then, for you to make up a parcel of voting-papers on the Thursday night to post, so that those papers might reach the out polling-booths in time ?—Yes. 228. Hence, you closed the nomination on the Wednesday, so as to give you time to have the papers printed to post on the following Thursday evening ?—That is so. 229. How many miles was the most distant polling-booth from the central polling-booth ?—I dare say forty to sixty miles according to road. Pahaua or Pirinoa would be as far away as Plat Point or Homewood. I take it that Homewood would be about fifty-five miles from Carterton, but you do not go in a direct line, you go round Masterton, Taueru, Blairlogie, and Whareama. 230. About how many miles would that be ?—lt is nineteen to the Taueru, seven from there to Blairlogie Junction, and I think seventeen from there to Whareama, and then they reckon it about thirty to Homewood that way. 231. A total of about seventy-three miles?— Yes. There is a short cut to come in Gladstone way, but the mail does not run that way. 232. What is the shortest distance to reach the most distant polling-booth from the central polling-booth, so that if you employed persons to deliver nomination-papers they might be able to do so?—lf I had sent a special messenger I could have done them in a day's riding. 233. How long elapsed from the day of the general election before the last batch of ballotboxes, &c, reached you from the most distant polling-booth?— The poll was on the Friday, and on the following Wednesday afternoon I got them. 234. I would like to be quite sure on this point. It was necessary, then, for you to take advantage of the mail to post the ballot-papers not later than Thursday night, the 26th November? —That is so. 235. Mr. Phillips.] What have you been pointing at, Mr. Armstrong?— This is an Electoral Act. 236. Is not that the Act under which you conducted the election ? —Yes. 237. Is it not a fact that the whole of what you have been doing was under this Act, and that you did not know anything about the 1896 Act at all ?—I had the 1896 Act with me. 238. Is it not generally known by your own friends that, after you had fixed your nommationday, Mr. Atcheson requested you to look at the 1896 Act, and to send for me to get my nominationpaper?—No. 239. Did you know of that 1896 Act ?—Yes. 240. Here is an advertisement re notice of polling-day in the Observer of the 21st November. [See Exhibit No. 2.] 241. Did you have that paper or not?— Yes. 242. You have sat here and told the Committee that you knew of the 1896 Act, when it was generally known through Carterton that you did not ?—-I am not responsible for what is generally known. 243. Why did you not say, then, that every candidate desirous of being nominated must send in a form in accordance with section 75 of the 1893 Act, and the other section of the 1896 Act. Why did you not do so ?—I did not think it was necessary. 244. Do you realise that is proof positive that you knew nothing of the 1896 Act ?—I realise nothing of the kind. 245. In realising this, why did you answer Mr. Fraser all the questions that you did, knowing the misery you had made. Why did you not tell the Committee ?—I answered the questions put to me. The 1896 Act says " not later," and the 1893 Act says "at least seven days." 246. You said you were told I passed through Carterton on the Monday ?—Yes. 247. I told you I passed through on the Sunday, and did not see anything of the papers?— When I asked you at the Taueru you said you had quite forgotten it. Mr. Phillips: I must apologize for having forgotten to bring my diary in which the matter is noted. 248. Mr. Phillips.] When you knew that I was out on the Monday, had gone to the back, why did you not say, " I will extend the nomination-day to receive Mr. Phillips's nomination " ?— I will tell you where I was on the Sunday; I was twenty miles from Martinborough, at Pahaua. 4—l. 2a.