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I.—2a.

defective, and they knew what little chance I had of finding it. I was simply given a blind alley in which to grope, and of course they knew I could not find it. 239. Did you not know that there was still a tribunal that could order a search of the Treasury ?—-I am asking for that. 240. You are aware that Parliament has control of the Auditor-General, and it would be quite competent for them to address to our Committee an order to search for anything over any number of years ? —I am aware of that. 241. If you are aware of that would you not think the enormity of the responsibility would be too much for any number of officers to consider, let alone undertake.? —I think they would reckon the risk to be very little, for this reason, that the Premier of the colony was with them, and they are in a better position to judge of Mr. Seddon's majority in this House than I. 242. The question of the Treasury could not be controlled by the Premier?—l was in hopes that the House would look at it in that light, and for that reason I petitioned with the other three for further inquiry, and as it proved we were refused that inquiry. 243. You stated that it would be quite easy to substitute a voucher ?—Yes, that is right. 244. In the case of a voucher being substituted, is it not a fact that there are a number of other means by which such payments could be traced, and the individual to whom it is paid ? — That is so if we get the opportunity to search, but I had no opportunity to find them, and the people or the person who would substitute a voucher was perfectly well aware that he would run no risk by doing so, because the Auditor-General's search gave us no opportunity of finding whether such voucher was substituted or not. 245. Mr. Rutherford.] You stated that you and the other clerks expressed surprise that Captain Seddon should be paid a certain sum for reorganizing military stores because you did not consider him competent to do so ? —Yes. 246. Are you aware that some of your friends expressed surprise that Captain Seddon was placed in a position to perform still more difficult work in South Africa ?—Who do you mean by my "friends." 247. Mr. Taylor and, I think, Mr. Fisher expressed surprise ? —-Do you want me to express my opinion ? lam perfectly willing to answer, but do you want to know whether I agree with my friends as to the appointment of Captain Seddon in South Africa ? 248. You say that it was impossible that the voucher could have been faked? —-Yes. 249. Unless manufactured in Wellington ? —Yes. 250. It could be manufactured in Wellington ?—I believe it could. 251. And from your evidence the only man who could have fixed up the voucher in Christchurch was Mr. Mcßeth ?—He would have to be in collusion with the person who substituted the voucher. 252. He either did it himself or in collusion with some one ?—Yes. 253. Then, it would have been possible to create a faked voucher, pass it on to Mcßeth, and Mcßeth to do all that was necessary to hoax you?—l suppose it would if he was allowed to do that; but if Mcßeth was in the hoax, if Mcßeth would lend himself to act in collusion to perpetrate a hoax of that nature, he would have to speculate as to whom it fell to—it may have fallen to any one of the clerks. 254. It would have been possible ?—Yes. 255. Are the Government cheque-books the same as other cheque-books—are they numbered consecutively?—l can only speak as to our own Department's books. The cheque-books in our Department are exactly the same as your private cheques. I do not know about the Treasury books; they did not give me an opportunity of seeing them. 256. Was there a butt of a cheque?—We asked for that, and they refused to give it to us. 257. It is proposed by the Government —or, rather, a matter of newspaper report—to set up a tribunal to hold an inquiry into our audit system, it having been alleged that sums of money may be passed through and paid without any record having been kept, which, I understand, is the sole object of that tribunal being set up. Would you be satisfied to have your case referred to those three Judges with unrestricted order of reference, all witnesses to be examined by counsel and crossexamined, and leave to examine everything connected with the voucher ?—I should be quite satisfied. The trouble is this : that according to the Premier's statement to the newspapers it is not to inquire into this voucher, but into the system of book-keeping. 258. Would you be satisfied, to have your case referred to a tribunal such as I have enumerated ? —Yes. 259. I understood you to say that all vouchers must come into existence in the Treasury Department ?—No ; they are created —they come into existence from the Department in which the services are performed. 260. Mr. Davey.] You have seen it stated in the House, I believe, and also in the public prints, that Captain Seddon was in the habit when signing vouchers to sign " R. J. Seddon " ?— Yes. 261. Do you know from your own knowledge if that is so?— All I can say is that the voucher we saw was made out in the name of " B. J. S. Seddon," and if he did not sign it that way he would not have got the cheque, or, at least, the cheque would not have been countersigned, and without the countersignature he could not have got the money. 262. Mr. Mills.] Apparently you and Larcombe were very careful in investigating the voucher at that time that you spent several minutes over it ?—That is so. 263. Did you not look to see who certified to the voucher being correct ?—No, sir, for this reason 264. Did you look to see whether it was signed like this one? —I can say this : that it was properly certified.