21

5.—26

You are aware that the regulations do not provide that the Minister oan dispense with a mate's certificate ; but as Captain Jones had been outside the Heads really in the position of captain for a long period and on many oocasions, and had sometimes been as far as Picton, and as I believed the Minister was anxious that Captain Jones should be passed, I recommended Mr. Hall-Jones to dispense with the mate's certificate in this case. He consented to dispense with the certificate, and I then pointed out to him that he would have to give an order to the department authorising the department to permit Jones to sit for his examination for a coastal master's certificate. After I left the Minister's room I saw you at your office. I told you what had transpired, including the fact that I had reoommended the Minister to permit Jones to sit for his examination. You told me that you thought I was foolish to do so, but I replied to you that from what had happened upstairs I knew that the Premier and Mr. Jones the Minister were anxious that Captain Jones should be permitted to sit for bis examination, and that an order would be sent down by Mr. Hall-Jones to the department giviug him permission to sit. In the evening of that day I was in the Chief Clerk of the Marine Department's (Mr. Allport's) room, and I explained to him that the Minister and myself had arranged that Captain Jones should be permitted to sit for his examination, and that an order would be sent out accordingly. While I was there the messenger came down and handed Mr. Allport a document, whereupon Mr Allport said, " Here is the order you were talking about." He then read it out, and, as far as I recollect, it granted in express terms authority for Jones to sit for his examination. It ran as follows: "Jones, ' Duco ': Permit examination." On the day following the receipt by Allport of this order you were, unfortunately, absent from duty, and Mr. Allport acted in yourplaoe in this matter. On the authority of the order he had received from Mr. Hall-Jones he wrote the Collector of Customs, Wellington, stating permission had been given to Captain Jones to sit for his examination. I may mention that Allport knew that Captain Jones had not the required mate's certificate, and the Collector of Customs also knew the same fact. The Collector of Customs, in turn, wrote the Examiners, Captain Edwin and myself, the authority to examine Captain Jones for a master's coastal certificate. Both Captain Edwin and myself knew that Jones had not the required mate's certificate. On the receipt of instructions in this way the examination proceeded ; the detail of what was done at this examination has been fully given in the confidential report I have given to Mr. Hall-Jones. I would add that the actual coastal master's certificate granted to Captain Jones was signed by yourself as Seoretary of Marine, and a memorandum of delivery of the certificate, written upon the certificate itself, was signed by the Collector of Customs. To yourself, the Collector of Customs, my co-Examiner (Captain Edwin), the Chief Clerk of the Marine Department, and myself the fact was well known that there was no regulation in existence authorising the dispensation of a mate's certificate. This fact was also well known to the Minister, Mr. Hall-Jones. Each of the officers I have mentioned, therefore, knew that the Minister had ordered the dispensation of this condition, and I would therefore beg to summarise the ciroumstanoes extenuating my conduct as follows : — (a.) That I was of the opinion Captain Jones was an excellent seaman, and was an experienced shipmaster, so that no danger would arise from his possessing a certificate which made him a coastal master. (6.) That I was plainly led to understand that it was the desire of the Hon. the Premier and the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones that Captain Jones should get the certificate he applied for. (c.) That each and all the officers I have mentioned were more or less aware of the same fact. (d.) That the irregularities which took place in connection with his examination were due partly to my consideration of Captain Jones's qualification, and partly by my desire to carry out the almost express wishes of my Minister. (c.) Ido not desire to inculpate any of my fellow-officers, but, as I understand the letter now under reply is merely preliminary to my dismissal, I must point out that each and all of my fellow-offioers were aware of the fundamental irregularity, which the Minister himself had permitted in dispensing with the requisite mate's certificate, and as I found eaoh of these gentlemen willing to overlook this irregularity for the apparent purpose of carrying the Minister's wishes into effeot, I was weakly, perhaps, induced to fall in with these wishes and facilitate, as I did, Captain Jones's obtaining the certificate of a coastal master. I feel that this is not a justification for my oonduct, but in view of my tenure of office, and of the responsibilities of a wife and family which lie upon me, I was induced to do that which I now very much regret. On the assumption that my Minister contemplates my immediate dismissal, I desire to point out that I have already been placed upon my trial, my reputation, which until the present has been unsullied, has been damaged, if not destroyed, and I shall, in the event of dismissal, be without occupation or means of livelihood,while I have to maintain a wife and family. I have, &c, The Secretary, Marine Department, Wellington. Geobge Aldman. 2/3/99. 107. Then it was just after that he was dismissed?— Yes. As I said, it appeared in the public prints that he was to be dismissed, because the question had been raised that the Government were going to whitewash the whole of them, and I deemed it to be my duty to place before the whole of the colony the fact that we were not going to do anything of the kind, and I did so. I will quote a telegram from the New Zealand Times of the Ist March, 1899 :— Dunedin, 28th February.—The Premier has authorised the Press to make the following statement on his behalf in reference to the oharge circulated that he was a party to Captain Jones going up for his master-mariner's examination without previously having obtained a mate's certificate : " I neither spoke to the Hon. Mr. Hall Jones about Captain Jones's examination, nor did I write to him. I went away to England in April, and the examination took place in July. The first I knew of Captain Jones or his examination was after Mr. Hutcheson, senior member for Wellington, had made his speech in the House. The evidence given by Mr. Allport in the Magistrate's Court was inoorreot. The Minister of Marine was summoned by the defence, and would have given evidence. There was no direction for Jones's captain's examination. Counsel for the Crown entered a nolle prosequi against the expressed wish of the Minister to go on, and then prevented the Minister of Marine clearing himself from the implication that he had given a direction or interfered in the slightest way." I did not say that was the first I knew of Captain Jones. Of course, I had known Captain Jones for years, and it is palpable on the face of it that that report was incorrect. But I said this, and repeat it now : that I was not aware of Captain Jones having been up for examination, or having passed an examination. I was away on the occasion ; nor did I receive anything from the Collector of Customs, either written or verbal. 108. Did Captain Allman write anything to the department subsequently to that long letter you have read ? —The sequence is that on the 6th March Mr. Glasgow writes to Captain Allman as follows:— (No. 617/99.) Sib, — Marine Department, Wellington, 6th Maroh, 1899. I have to honour to inform you, by direotion of the Minister having charge of the Marine Department, that your letter of the Ist instant in reply to my letter of the 28th ultimo, together with your memorandum dated 13th December last, addressed to the Premier, has bean plaoed before the Governor in Council, who is of opinion that you have been guilty of oonduot which renders you unfit to oontinue in the Civil Service, and has accordingly dismissed you from the Service under the power contained in section 23 of " The Civil Service Aot, 1866." I have, &c, Captain George Allman, Wellington. W. T. Glasgow, Seoretary,