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The Chairman : This is drawn up in your name ? Mr. Laivson: Yes. The Chairman : Then there is no use in putting this in. Mr. Laivson: This is entirely Mr. Low's own dictation and his own handwriting. Why should I dictate to him what he was to write ? Mr. Blair: Mr. Low knew what form to put the final certificate and the accompanying memorandum in, and he did it to oblige you; and to insinuate now that Mr. Low is responsible for it is most reprehensible. Mr. Lawson : Yes ; I think it is on your part. Well, lamto be refused this being put in. The Chairman : I do not see the use of it. Mr. Lawson : The use of it is this The Chairman : It is your document ? Mr. Laivson : No more than that I copied it. The Chairman : It is signed by you ? Mr. Lawson : Yes ; I was asked to put my name to it. The Chairman : We do not know that it is not a copy from one of yours. Mr. Laivson : It is admitted to be in Mr. Low's handwriting. The Chairman : We have no evidence that it was drawn up by Mr. Low. It is signed in your name. Mr. Lawson : That is Mr. Low's own handwriting. The Chairman : It is " certified correct, ' E. A. L.' " Mr. Laivson : That is not my writing. The Chairman : But who is " E. A. L. ? " Mr. Lawson : lam"E. A. L." The writing is by Mr. Low, every word of it; not dictated by me. Mr. Ussher : Mr. Lawson was unacquainted with the way of making out a final certificate, and Mr. Low assisted him. The Chairman : Very well, wo will let it in. Mr. Blair: Will you take it with the statement that Mr. Low had nothing whatever to do with the work ? Mr. Laivson : I desire to assert that it is his own handwriting and his own dictation, not mine. As to my visitations to Seacliff and my attention to my duties, there is no proof whatever brought forward that I did not attend in every way to my duties. The letters before you to the number of 433 speak as to my attention to my duties. It is to be presumed that if these letters passed that there was much more of ordinary correspondence, conferences, and visitations throughout all the working of this building. Gentlemen, I repudiate the statement made by Mr. Blair that I was inattentive to my duties. I never am inattentive to my duties, and I trust I have too much pride in my profession to be so. I have again to thank you, gentlemen, for the courtesy shown to myself, and to say that I rest confidently on your returning a verdict which will show, as I have said, to the public that I have sought to do my duty in this whole matter [Document marked 31, and put in —copy of final settlement in Mr. Low's handwriting]. It is not so much the figures as the reading which I ask you to look at, dictated by Mr. Low. Mr. Ussher : Mr. Lawson was unacquainted with the form of making out a final certificate, and Mr. Low assisted him. The Chairman : We fully understand that. Mr. Lawson : I admit that. Ido not deny that at all. After the luncheon adjournment, Mr. Lawson asked that there should be produced the correspondence between Messrs. Blair and Ussher which had led to Mr. Ussher writing the letters of the 26th May, 11th June, and 11th September, 1885, which had been put in in evidence, Mr. Lawson contending that this correspondence would disclose that he had received information as to the foundations being alleged to bo defective prior to his report of the 17th August. [The preceding paragraph is the substance of a conversational discussion the Commissioners considered it unnecessary to have recorded in full.] Mr. Blair : I wish to give it on oath that when I wrote that report, which was presented to Parliament, dated the 17th August, 1885, I was not aware of any defects in the foundation, and that I had no suspicion of them of any kind whatever ; and I think Mr. Ussher will say the same thing. Mr. Laivson : I wish it also to be noted at this stage that Mr. Blair's first statement at the opening of this inquiry was given on oath and voluntarily. Mr. Usshcr: My letter in September speaks for itself. It is the only letter that passed in reference to the defects spoken of by Dr. Grabham. Mr. Blair : That was the first intimation I had. Mr. Ussher's letter of the 9th September was the first intimation I had of it. Mr. Lawson: I have only to state that Mr. Blair distinctly said that he first became aware of the defective foundations in June, 1885. Mr. Blair : I did not say that. Mr. Laivson : You contradict me again. I take your own words out of the report. Mr. Blair : I say I made a mistake in dictating it, or the reporter made a mistake in recording it. The Chairman: I have looked through both these files, and there are no such letters or telegrams. Mr. Laivson : I simply submit it to the Commission to say whether there is not clearly on the face of these letters—at least one telegram and one letter—connecting them with Mr. Blair. The Chairman : Yes ; but there is nothing to lead us to suppose that they refer to the foundations.