17

G.—s

several payments in the schedule of expenditure purport to be signed by the persons who are represented to have received the money. One of these vouchers is dated 26th August, and is for £51. It purports to be signed by Eetireti. This £51 forms a portion of the £531 18s. 6d. returned as payments in the schedule. In the course of my investigations I found other signatures of Eetreat Tapsell's. I also found one for £4 18s., signed Eetireti. Eetireti admits the genuineness of all the signatures signed Eetireti Tapihana, but denies that those signed Eetireti alone are his. The difference between the writing in the disputed signatures and that in his admitted signatures is that in the latter the writing is lighter and less firm. In other respects the writing is like what is admittedly genuine. The voucher for £4 18s. appears to be a payment made up of £2 refunded to Mr. Young and £2 18s. paid to Mr. Commons for a steamer-passage. The only cheque I can imagine it to belong to was marked "Refund to Mr. J. 0.. Young." This voucher for £4 18s. is signed Eetireti, and the signature purports to have been witnessed by A. Warbrick. Eetireti disowns ever having signed the voucher at all. There were a number of cheques drawn that day, and the butts show they were paid to storekeepers and others. On looking over the cash-book left by Mr. Young, I find an item of £51 entered as paid to Eetireti, but I can find no cheque. Mr. Batkin, the Assistant Controller, on Wednesday or Thursday asked Mr. Young for an explanation. Mr. Young stated that there was a cheque drawn by him for £125, which he had cashed and handed to Hans Tapsell, who was to give £50 to Philip, and £50 to Eetireti, and keep £25 himself. Mr. Young further stated that Hans paid Philip the £50 in his presence, and took the £50 for Eetireti away, promising to get Eetireti to sign a voucher for it. Mr. Batkin pointed out that the three vouchers were for £51, £50, and £25 respectively, making £126 in all ; and Mr. Young explained this by saying that he had previously given Eetireti £1, which, added to the £50 sent by Hans to him, would make £51. Cross-examined by Mr. Quintal: 1 have been going over the accounts at intervals since the 15th of January. Mr. Young had many opportunities of clearing himself, but he would give the Government no information. When 1 went to Maketu I showed Eetreat Tapsell some of the vouchers with his signature attached. He acknowledged that some were genuine, but disowned others. When I showed him his signature to the voucher for £51 he said it was a forgery, and that he never received £51. Hans Tapsell also denied ever having received £51 for his brother Eetireti. He denied receiving £126 on any particular occasion. Philip told me he received £50 from Hans in Mr. Young's presence. Mr. Quintal: Do you know how much Mr. Young was authorized to pay the Tapsells on account of the lands at Waiparapara and Eotorua? Witness : I think I have heard there was a special advance of £200. I have heard of Mr. Young being instructed by the Native Minister to advance this £200 to Hans Tapsell, but I know nothing personally about the matter. Mr. Quintal: Here is a voucher for £112, and there is marked on it £112 as former payments. Did you ask Eetreat Tapsell if he received a portion of the £112 on that block ? Witness : I did not ask him. that. 1 asked him what money he had had from Mr. Young, and he said he had not had any. Ec-examined by Mr. Brookfield : The entry in the voucher about previous payments of £112 was made at Wellington, and was no part of Mr. Young's return. I have been examining other accounts, as well as Mr. Young's, since the middle of January —in fact, I was in Auckland part of the time. Mr. Young was afforded a full opportunity of explaining matters, but did not embrace it—at all events, I could not get the information I wanted. The items making up the £200 are advances on different blocks of land. After taking possession of the office I found over a hundred blank vouchers, left by Mr. Young, purporting to be signed by Natives and not otherwise filled in. They were apparently left to be filled'up at pleasure. Mr. Brabant : Was a separate advance made for each block, or was the money advanced for several blocks in one lump ? Witness •" The moneys were not forwarded for particular blocks to be paid to particular Natives. Mr. Brabant: Then it would be in Mr. Young's discretion to whom ho paid these moneys ? Witness : To a certain degree it would. Mr. Brabant: Before you asked Eetireti if the signature was genuine, had you any reason to suppose the money had not been paid ? Witness : I ascertained, in the course of my investigations, that Mr. Young and Mr. Warbrick had got blank vouchers signed, and therefore I thought it my duty to ask for information. There were cases in which accounts had been paid to storekeepers, and the vouchers were signed by the Natives beforehand. At this stage Mr. Matravers, Clerk of the Maketu Court, was sworn as interpreter. Betireti Tapihana (Eetreat Tapsell) was next examined by Mr. Brookfield. He said: I live at Maketu. lam not interested in the Waiparapara and E'otorua blocks of lands. They have not been adjudicated upon. -I have no claim on the former, but 1 may perhaps have on the latter after it shall have gone through the Court. I know the defendant Mr. Young. I have never received any money from him on account of Waiparapara and Eotorua Blocks. I did not sign the receipt for £51 produced. The signature is like my writing, but my hand did not do it. Mr. Young never gave me £51, but he may have given it to my brother, though lam not aware of it. I never gave authority to Hans or Philip to receive money for me from Mr. Young. In signing my name I always write the name Tapsell after Eetreat. The letters in the signature for the £51 are like mine, but were not written by me. I always wrote Tapihana, as well as Eetireti when signing my name to important documents. I heard of some money having been advanced to Hans about the 26th of August; but I did not see it, and I received none. The signature to the voucher for- a payment of £4 18s: was not written by me. Cross-examined by Mr. Quintal: Neither my wife nor myself has any claim on the Waiparapara land at Maketu. There is another Waiparapara, and lam not able to say whether I have a claim on it or not. Mr. Quintal: Did you sign any agreement with the Government to sell your interest in certain, blocks of land named Waiparapara and Eotorua? 3—G. 5.