I.—2a

8

of examining any records which bore the name of the payee and the particulars of the service, therefore it was perfectly safe. I would like to point out too, sir, that the Auditor-General's inquiry was set up, as I have already said, at the instance of Messrs. Heywood, Collins, and Grey, and that those gentlemen choose to consider themselves accused persons ; they nominated their own judge, who was a departmental officer, and whose Department also was under a slur if this voucher had been found. I consider that we are as much entitled to consideration—we are more entitled to consideration now than we were at the start, because the position now, through no fault of our own, is such that we are now in the position of men who have given false statements, although we know perfectly well that our statements are true in every particular, and that if we get a proper inquiry we will prove them so, and, I think, sir, that we four men— although we possess no high-sounding titles—are as much entitled to consideration from the House of Representatives as Messrs. Collins, Grey, and Heywood, and for those reasons I would ask that we have a proper inquiry that will have no restricted order of reference—an inquiry that will allow us to examine every document and every book which has any bearing on the case at all, and which will also allow us to cross-examine the witnesses on the other side. lam quite satisfied that if we can get such an inquiry we shall absolutely break down their evidence, and we shall also prove that what we stated was absolutely true in every particular. Ido not know that I can say any more. 11. Mr. Taylor. ] The Premier, when he was dealing with this question after the AuditorGeneral's report came down, said, Let it be known from the housetops of the colony that another "Sneddon" voucher had been discovered? —There were twenty or thirty Anderson or Sneddon vouchers turned out on the first day's search, and the Premier's informant must have known that fact, and I must say that either the informant misled Ihe Premier or the Premier misled the House. 12. You make reference to Mr. Mcßeth's basket as being a significant fact—that Larcombe had to sort up the contents of a certain basket. What is put in that basket? —Correspondence for distribution —signed correspondence—and also vouchers which have been dealt with by Mr. Mcßeth himself. If his clerk is cut of the room Mcßeth would take the signature on the voucher and countersign the cheque and place this voucher in his basket. 13. Can you explain to the Committee how Captain Fisher came to quote the number of the Sneddon voucher as, in his opinion, representing the payment to Captain Seddon?—l can explain how he got it, and I might say that the Auditor-General wanted me to cut that out for my own benefit, but I told him then that if it did not go on record this matter would never be cleared up. I said that Captain Fisher wrote to me asking if I could supply certain particulars in reference to it. He had written to me before, and I had given particulars from memory, and he wrote to me a second time and asked if there was any record in the office and the number, and he stated that the payment was for £76 and made in June. I went straight to the rough memorandumbook in the office, which simpty records the number of the voucher, the amount of the payment, and the date of the vouchers having.been returned to the Paymaster-General. I found there was only one voucher for £76 in June, and that was for £76 4s. 9d. and No, , and it was returned to the Paymaster-General between the 9th and 14th June, and I stated that " This is probably the payment you refer to —can you not find some further information elsewhere? " and then Captain Fisher by some means or other quoted the particulars of that voucher in the House. 1 saw him on the Monday following—he made the statement in the House on the on the Monday following I met him, and he said, '"' Was that voucher for Sneddon," and I said, " Yes, I believe it was." It was a most peculiar coincidence that it should have been Sneddon's, because it might have been for John Smith, or Brown, or anybody; but that is explained by the fact of the number of Anderson or so-called Sneddon vouchers which pass through our office. Then Captain Fisher evidently took my meaning to be that he had evidently made a mistake, and that his information was wrong, and when I met him at his office that evening he said, " There i,s nothing else for it —my information is apparently wrong. I am apologizing to the Premier for having made such a statement." I then said, " What are you doing that for? " and he said, " That is right—that voucher was Sneddon's." I said, " But a Seddon voucher went through ajl right," and he said " Are you sure? " and I said, " Yes, and not only that, but Larcombe and West reminded me of it having gone through." He said, "Are you sure? Will they come forward and testify? " I said Larcombe is a married man, and may not like the risk. When Larcombe was asked whether he remembered the voucher, he said Yes, he remembered it, and he said he would tell the truth before any Judge in the land. West said the same thing, and Captain Fisher went back and made the further charge, and finally it led to this inquiry being set up. 14. Could Mcßeth's certificate be made upon a search by him of any record in the Christchurch Post-office?— No. 15. There is no such record kept?— No. 16. Then, it must have been based on his memory?— Yes. 17. How long have you been in the Christchurch Post-office under him?— Three years. 18. Does he remember you? —He does not know me from a crow. 19. Does he call you by one name and then by another?— Yes. He called me a different name the other day, and took me for Mr. Fisher. When I went into the Auditor-General's room when he was under examination he did not know me from a crow. 20. The Chairmcm.~\ Is his sight failing?—No; apparently it is his memory. If he gets a paper with reference to a certain matter he does not know what he did with it on the morrow. A clerk was placed in his room, and received instructions to try and keep a check on his correspondence, and I have been told by the Chief Clerk to go through and check his basket, because he allows things to remain there for months if he does not remember it. I know a paper given by one gentleman in. this room which lay in his basket for some months. 21. Have you read the evidence Mcßeth gave before the Auditor-General?—Yes. 22. He says, " I do not know Captain R. J. S. Seddon personally: I do not know him by sight. I am, however, quite satisfied that he was never in my office? —Yes, I have read that.