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243. On no occasion ? —On no occasion. 244. Mr. Montgomery.] Did you know what was supplied in sash-cord?—l did not see what was supplied. I know what we do supply very often. 245. In this case did you know ?—No, I did not. 246. I presume you found out afterwards that hanks were sent out ?—Yes. 247. Who was responsible for single hanks being sent out, and pieces being charged for? —I suppose I am. 248. It is your duty, then, to note these things?— Yes. 249. How did it occur then?—l had not looked into the matter; I took it for granted that it was correct. In the matter of 151b., it was impossible to have looked into the weight. I could not have allowed that slip to pass over. 250. Jenkins made these entries right through ? —Yes. 251. Did he speak to you about overcharging weights of sash-cord?—l have no recollection of his speaking to me about that. 252. Did you supply hanks or pieces, as a rule ?—Sometimes one and sometimes the other. 253. Do you charge by the hank?—We charge by weight. 253 a. Does the customer know the weight of each piece before it is sent out ?—Yes. 254. In this case it was not done ? —Evidently not. 255. How do you account for coming to a particular weight when it was not weighed at all?— I cannot account for that 751b. at all. 256. Did you do it by a rule of thumb, a rule of the trade based at so much, or was it actually weighed, presuming that it had been weighed some way? —Sometimes I did it by rule of ■thumb : if it was a single hank I took it on the average weight; if more than that I had it weighed. 257. It does not appear to have been weighed at all in this case? —Oh, yes; it had been weighed, because the weight had been altered in the rough book and the journal. 258. You think it was weighed ?—Yes. 259. The weight is put down in the yard-book?—No, in the order-book. - 260. If the weights are put down in the order-book and altered in the journal it could not have escaped your notice that these alterations were considerable ?—I did not notice it. I had not given particular attention to where weights were charged. As I am situated lam always open to interruptions, and unless one is going through and looking for mistakes it is very hard to find them. 261. Then, about the tents, you had a good deal of conversation with Miss Knight?—No, not very much. 262. You talked about the price of tents to some extent with her, and she quoted a price which was practically the price of a Government tent ?—Yes. 263. Now, what I wanted to get at is this : did you suppose that when she quoted the lower price she was quoting the same quality of tent ?—No, of course not. 264. When she quoted the medium price, did you have any reason to suppose that that was for the first-class quality ? —I thought that was about the price of the contract tent, because it was a little above the price of the tent in other parts of New Zealand. 265. You had been asking about qualities?— Yes. 266. And therefore I presume you said you could not accept that price because it was not the quality? —Yes. 267. And the natural thing for you to say was that you wanted the contract quality ?—I said I wanted the tent equal to Government quality, at a lower price than she quoted —I think, £1 ss. 268. The tents are 18s. ? —She quoted me the price at £1 6s. first. I said I wanted a price about 18s. 269. There was a second price—a less price ? —About 13s. or 14s. 270. Are you sure it was not the present price, 18s.?—I am sure it was not. 271. Did you or did you not stipulate for the first-class quality at this price?—l do not think I stipulated at all. I let her know it was for the Government, and I wanted them in a hurry. 272. You had been talking about two classes of quality, because you said you did not accept the lower price because it was the lower quality ?—Yes. 273. In talking about tents after that, you would be stipulating for quality? —Yes. 274. Then, you did stipulate for Government quality?—l bought on that understanding. I stipulated not in a direct manner, but in an indirect manner, for Government tents, and if that is stipulation I most decidedly did stipulate. I did not stipulate for first quality; I said it was for the Government contract. She supplied tents at 18s. I did not see the tent. I knew the Dunedin price was 145., and I knew she was getting a good advance. 275. Do you sell tents now? —We very rarely sell tents. 276. What do you charge ? —We have only some in stock for the Government contract. 277. Can you account for this great difference in the price? Witness : Between Wellington and Dunedin ? Mr. Montgomery : Yes. Witness : Knight has a monopoly in Wellington. 278. Mr. Montgomery.] Would not people get them from Dunedin ?—I do not know that people know that Dunedin is lower than Wellington for tents. 279. These prices are yours ?—Yes. 280. They are the prices Knight quoted first ?—Yes; the higher price he quoted first, 281. Did you imagine that the 18s. tents that you charged the Government £1 ss. for were the tents which were of the Government quality ? —I did. I had no hesitation in sending them whatever. 282. Did you ask Knight for a price of these tents before you went in for the Government tender ?—I personally did not.