I.—7a

50

112. What is it without the fly ?—lßs. 113. Then the value of the fly is 10s. ?—Yes. 113 a. What do you say is the size of the fly ?—l2ft. x 14ft. 114. What is this other tent?— This is the quality I supply to the Public Works Department. 115. It is a sample tent ?—Yes ; I know it by my brand, " I B." 116. Mr. T. Mackenzie.] Is that the best?—l make a superior quality to that; this is the contract quality ; the tender quality is £2, wholesale price—tent and fly. 117. What do you say is the value of the tent, and what the value of the fly?— The tent is £1 ss. and the fly 15s. 118. So that the value would be £1 55., as against 18s. ?—Yes. 119. Mr. Skerrett.] Do you remember an order given to you for tents in April ?—I could not speak from memory about April, for my daughter took the orders in April. 120. In April ?—I cannot say for the date. 121. But some time about the beginning of April you supplied tents to Messrs. Briscoe and MacNeil?—Yes. 122. Did they not at that time ask you for a price ? —Yes. 123. You knew the tents were for the Public Works Office ?—I did not know they were for the Public Works ; sometimes it would be the Survey Department. 124. But you knew it was for the Government ?—Yes. 125. Can you give the quality that was required ?—Yes. 126. The order was given by Mr. Bridson ? —There was always an attempt on Mr. Bridson's part to get the tents at a lower figure than I quoted to them in the first instance. 127. Was any quality ever specified by Mr. Bridson? —In the latter part of the year, always. 128. In April ?—I cannot answer as to April. 129. Was any quality specified?—-Not at the time, so far as I know. 130. Would not he be ignorant as to quality ?—He is not ignorant of what he is told. . 13.1. Did you receive an order for tents in April ?—I did not take the order. 132. You do not know whether anything was said about quality ? —Yes, I do. 133. From what your daughter told you?— Yes. 134. Were you asked to give a price for tents to be supplied to the Government ?—You can ask my daughter what passed between her and Bridson on the subject; if you wish for evidence direct from my daughter you can have it. 135. When did Bridson deliver the order?— She protested against supplying "A" quality; she said it was not according to requirements. The question he asked was, " Can anything lower be supplied ? " To which she replied, "Not and keep up the quality." 136. Then Bridson came to her and asked her for a price, and she gave him a price; did not he say that she must do it at a lower price than that ?—Whatever Bridson told her she knew that we had given a price in writing. 137. Did. not he ask for a price ?—Yes; he was attempting to get it for a lower price. 138. She reduced the price ?—No. 139. She quoted a higher price ?—She said it would not keep up the quality if an inferior article were supplied. 140. Did she tell you there was a discussion about the quality?— Yes, she did. 141. Do you know that the rates for tents are lower in Dunedin than in Wellington ?—There are a lot of tents come up here from Dunedin to the Wellington market which I would not like to go out from my establishment. 142. Your price for these tents in Wellington is £1 55., and the contract price in Dunedin is 14s. 6d. Do you know the fact that samples are supplied to the Government from Dunedin?—lf so, it surprises me they do not keep up a stock of them. 143. Do you know that samples have been supplied to the Government ?—I do not know anything about their business. 144. You have great profits?—l would rather supply second quality at £1 Bs. than the other at £2 ; the lower price pays me best. 145. You went to the Public Works and reported this ? —Yes, I reported it when I found what was being done. 146. Were these tents sent by you direct to the department ?—No, they were sent to Briscoe and MacNeil. 147. They were not sent to the Government? —They were sent to MacNeil. I went to the Government because I was told they were sent in as my first quality; it was when I found I was being made a scapegoat of that I went to the Government. 148. How long after? —It might be a few weeks. If you wish I can give you what made me go to the Government. Ido not know whether it was a week or a month after. 149. You supplied the order, and then you went to the Government and complained; you might as well tell us the reason ?—Because it was put forward that they supplied a 28s. tent at a 40s. price. 150. Who told you? —I have black and white to show it. 151. From whom?—l can produce it if necessary from Briscoe's office. 152. Let us have it ?—When lam asked I can produce the evidence if you wish it; I have here in my hands the invoice sent with these tents, under date 29th March, 1895. 153. What has that to do with Messrs. Briscoe, MacNeil, and Co. ?—lt is the invoice of Briscoe, MacNeil, and Co. 154. You were going to give us evidence of tents supplied of a lower quality instead of a higher quality, and you said you had evidence of it?—On this invoice there are figures by some one in Briscoe and MacNeil's establishment—lßs., 255., 10s., 15s. I will explain how this came into my