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305. Mr. Did Sir Julius Vogel explain to you why he wanted you to call on Mr. Harper before you left Christchurch? —No. 306. Did you have any reason assigned you for calling upon him?—No. 307. Was he surprised when you spoke to him about the matter ?—No ; I do not think so. As far as I remember, it was Mr. Scott who introduced him to me in the Club, and I had only the one conversation with him on the subject. 308. Did he walk round the buildings with you?—No. I met him on the street the next day, and we walked round the place. I had been looking round the possible sites myself. 309. Why did you and he go round the buildings ?—I never was round the buildings with him. We walked down the street to the vacant corner at Clark's. 310. You did not look at Maling's buildings with him ? —No—not with him. 311. Did he give any reason for referring you to his partner, Mr. Maude?—Yes; he said he was Maling's brother-in-law, and, therefore, he did not wish to have anything to say to it—that, if I wanted any information or any law advice connected with the matter, he referred me to Mr. Maude, his partner. 312. Were you advised or recommended by any person to buy this property?—No. Mr. Matson thought it a very good property. 313. No one else recommended the property to you?—-No. I was very much pleased with the property when I went through it. I considered it to be in a place likely to continue to improve, and that it would be one of the best sites in Christchurch. 314. Who first suggested the purchase of these properties?—The Wellington property was purchased before the Board came into existence. 315. Who first suggested the desirability of acquiring property of that kind?—It was Sir Julius Vogel, who sent for me and said that there were two or three places we ought to have properties in. I was the first to suggest the purchase of the Wellington property, some years ago. Then Sir Julius Vogel said we ought to have good offices in all the large towns. He asked me to go down and see about properties in Christchurch which had been under offer to him. He showed me the letters which I have already shown to the Committee—a letter from Mr. Bell, in Christchurch, respecting Maling's property, and a letter from Mr. Pym respecting the Dowling Street property and Wise's corner. 317. Were you paying rent for the Wellington property? —Yes. 318. What rent ?—£250. 319. You bought it at £18,000? —Yes ; but there are other offices in the building paying rent. 320. Of what advantage is it to the policy-holders that it should be bought ?—Well, it is a property that will always pay itself. It is a cheap property. If we were to sell it to-morrow we should get £25,000 to £30,000 for the land alone. With the land occupied we might sit rent-free. 321. Are you aware that there is land that has been valued in New Zealand at £80,000, and that you cannot get £20,000 for it now ?—I dare say in some parts of the colony that is the case. 322. Do you consider it is for the interest of the policy-holders to acquire land all over the colony as investments ?—The law does not allow us to make investments of that kind unless we intend to occupy the buildings as offices. 323. Then, if it is the intention of the law that you should occupy, if you occupy but one room that gets over the law ?—I suppose it does. 324. Mr. Montgomery.] Was Mr. Matson valuing at Christchurch for the association ?—Yes. 325. Did you ask him verbally or by letter ? —I asked him by letter. 326. Has it been handed in ?—No; it is a letter I wrote to him in Christchurch. 327. Can you produce that letter?—I do not think I can; it was a letter I wrote to him at the time I was there. 328. Was his valuation given in writing?—Yes. 329. Was he paid a commission by the Government for the valuation?—He was paid twentyfive guineas. 330. When did you ask him by letter ?—It was the morning before I went to Dunedin. I was in Christchurch at the time. 331. Did any person recommend Mr. Matson to you as a valuer?—Yes; I think he was recommended to me by Sir Julius Vogel. 332. Anybody else ?—I may have mentioned his name to Mr. -Maude. 333. Did Mr. Maude recommend him ?—I suppose he did, for I employed him. He said he was a suitable man. 334. Was there any other person asked to value the property but Matson ?—No. 335. Do you know the reason why Bell sent up an offer for this property ?■ —No, I do not. 336. Do you know if any communication had been held with Mr. Bell by any member of the Government ?—I do not know. That letter was sent by Mr. Bell to Sir Julius Vogel. That is all I know of the origination of the business. 337. That letter offers the premises that were bought eventually from Maling?—Yes. 338. It is in evidence—is it not —that Harper and Co. recommended this purchase ?—No; they only acted for us in looking after the title. 339. Did they make any recommendation at all ?—No ; nothing was done in the matter practically until the two directors went down and examined the property for themselves, and bought it. 340. Mr. Stewart.) When was it that Mr. Harper stated it was not a desirable site, but to build on the other site ?—It was the day after I had met him one evening at the Club that he said it was not desirable. 341. That was when you were walking down the street together? —Yes. 342. Was that after Maling's property had been offered?—Maling's property was offered before
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