T.-7a

70

90. Do you remember obtaining an order for tents for the Land and Survey Department ?— Yes, I do. 91. At this time Mr. Gellatly was absent, I think ?—Yes; he was in Melbourne. 92. Mr. Montgomery.] Do you remember the date ?—Late in March ;I do not remember the exact date. 93. Mr. Skerrett.] What did you do consequent on this order?— Upon receiving the order I went down to Knight's about the tents. Miss Knight came out, and I asked to see her father. She went inside and came out again and said her father was engaged. I told her I had received an order for tents from the Survey Department, and asked her could they do them; she said she would see. I asked her what the price would be, and she quoted me a price ; and I said I wanted something lower, as I could get them in Dunedin at one-half lower than the price she quoted. She then quoted me a price too low, and after that quoted me a price that we agreed upon. 94. Were the tents made up?— Some of them were. 95. Were they sent to you?—A boy brought them along in a hand-cart to our store, and they were taken from the hand-cart and put on our dray and sent to the station. 96. Was this as supplied ordered by you from Knight's ?—lt was. 97. You say you are certain that was the first order given by you to Mr. Knight ?—Yes ; I am positive about that. 98. Are the tents mentioned in the invoices of 28th March and Ist and 2nd April the same tents that were supplied to the Government ?—Those of 28th March and Ist April are. 99. They were the first tents, with the exception of one, ordered by you from Knight ?—I do not remember ordering one previous to that; I think that was the first order. 100. There was one ordered previous to that, on sth March. Did you order the tent of sth March ? —I have no recollection of it. I do not think it was for the Government; I think it was for a private customer. 101. You never got an order from the Government for one tent ? —No. 102. Therefore you say it was not for the Government, but for a private person? —Yes. 103. You say distinctly the first lot of tents supplied by you and ordered from Knight for the Government were on March 28th and April Ist?—They were. 104. Had you ever seen the sample tent deposited with the Public Works Department ?—No, I had not. 105. Now, Mr. Jenkins said here that you had given him verbal instructions to alter weights, is that true ? —No, that was not so. 106. Mr. Menteath.] In the case of junipers and cleaners, you say Eobertson and Co.'s invoice had not been sent in at the time the voucher was sent?—l said so. 107. That is Eobertson and Co.'s invoice you see there ?—Yes. 108. Do you see the date of that, on making out the invoice ?—3oth March. 109. Now, that would be the approximate date that that invoice would reach the office ?—No, I think not. Eobertson is very lax in sending out his invoices, and very often we get them with his statement. 110. You see the date on which these goods were supplied?— March 30th. 111. Would that not be that the invoice was sent along with those goods; that they were forwarded at the same time?— No; it was not. I believe I had to send round to get those invoices from Eobertson. 112. So, of course, that date at the head of the invoice is incorrect?—lt is not the date on which the invoice was made out. 113. Was that Eobertson's habit of making out invoices? —He would not make them out until asked for. 114. Would he put the same date at the head of the invoice as to the particulars ?—Yes. 115. Does that not show the date on which the goods were supplied ?—Not always. 116. I suppose it is the custom in the trade?—lf any one came to me for an invoice I would date it on the day the goods went away, whether it was then or a month hence. 117. Look at the voucher, Exhibit 71 : in whose handwriting is that? —In Jenkins's. 118. You see the date in the margin ? —April. 119. That was the day on which goods were supplied to the Government, was it not?—l believe so. 120. That voucher would be made out some little time after ?—Yes ; I believe it was. 121. So that the goods were supplied to the Government in April, and the original voucher was made out some time Afterwards ; and yet you say that this time you have no knowledge of the weights given in Eobertson's invoice, although his invoice is dated 30th March ? —I believe that is correct. 122. You say that you told one of the employes in the Public Works Department that there was some waste lead —I am referring now to the milled lead. You say you told some of the employes in the Public Works that there was waste which they could have if they liked?— That w r as so. 123. Which employe ? —I believe it was a man named Kermode. 124. Where ?—He is in the Public Works employ. Ido not know where he works. 125. How was it you selected him from the Public Works Department employes to impart this information to ? —He is an Inspector, and often came up to our warehouse to inspect goods before being supplied to the Department. That was the most likely person I would have said it to. 126. Will you swear you spoke to him ?—Not definitely, it would be either he or Mr. Young. 127. Who is Mr. Young?—He is the Public Works Storekeeper. 128. Where?—ln Wellington.