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325. You cannot give the Commissioners any idea at all of the number of travellers who come into Wellington'?—l can give no idea. 326. You did not inform these people at all, or go and tell them what you had seen, or caution them to desist ?—No. 327. Do you not think that would be the right thing to do ?—I thought the whole forty-five were doing the same thing, so why caution a dozen or so ? 328. I suppose you do not mean to say that the whole of the people who went into the Albert Hotel, for instance, on the Sunday you mention, went in for drink ?—I mean to say they all went in, and some came out drunk. 329. That is not altogether an answer to the question; you cannot say they all went in for the purpose of drinking ? —No. 330. A number of them were boarders ? —lf so, then a bigger number than the list I gave went in, because I left out boarders. 331. You did not inquire how many visitors were in the house?— No. 332. Did you know any of the parties?—lt is five years ago nearly, and I would not trust my memory now. 333. Well, more recently then, within the last few Sundays do you know the names of any people who entered the hotel on the Sunday ?—No. 334. Or whether they were travellers or boarders ?—No. 335. Colonel Hume.~\ You said you did not think things have improved much from 1894 till now ?—No. I have not taken particular notice, but that is my private opinion. 336. Then, you quote figures to show that the visitors were less in this particular hotel you were watching lately; does that indicate any improvement, in your opinion ?—A different man was running the hotel, and it was also close to election time, and he might have been taking more care. I do not take that to prove anything. 337. What do you form your opinion on ? —Well, in going past hotels on Sundays, on the way to church, you cannot help seeing what is going on if you use your eyes ; and in going past I noticed there was a certain amount of slyness about the business. I noticed after the new Commissioner came, that some of them threw the door open for a week or two. 338. Then, do you consider up to the time, we will say last October, before the new Commissioner came, that things had improved in 1894-95-96?— Well, if you ask an ordinary citizen about Sunday trading he will probably state his opinion as being that twenty or thirty is a tremendous number of visitors to a hotel ; but if he went and watched for a certain time he would see five hundred, and so on, in 1893, and the same thing would have probably happened in 1896. 339. In your private opinion there is as much sly-grog selling going on now in the City of Wellington as there was in 1890? —I have not the least idea about 1890 ; I was in Christehurch. 340. Well, do you think as much in 1898 as in 1893 ? —I think there is. I have no particular reason for thinking so except as I say. 341. Mr. Tunbridge.] Did you go to church last Sunday?—No; not in morning. 342. Were you out walking ? —No; not in morning. 343. Did you leave your house at all ?—Yes. 344. When ? —Three o'clock in the afternoon. 345. Dp till what time after that ?—I was out for an hour, and then after dark. 346. During the time you were out last Sunday did you see one hotel with its doors open ?—I saw for a wonder that the Panama Hotel had its doors closed. 347. How many hotels did you pass ?—Three —the Panama, Eoyal Tiger, and the Grosvenor. 348. Had either of these hotels their doors open when you passed?— No. 349. What do you mean by saying that all these hotels had their doors open when you passed ? —I beg to differ. I did not say so. On Sunday night I was out with Mr. Taylor, and we saw people pop out of the gate of the Eoyal Tiger. 350. Did you see them enter the house ?—No. 351. What am I to understand from your answer in connection with the Albion?— When I was walking past this hotel I saw eleven men of the working-classes going in. That was after the new Commissioner came. 352. Can you say nothing more definite than that, because I have been here five months ?—lt was within the first two months. 353. You said right right down to the present time you noticed what you thought was getting worse, and you gave as a reason for coming to that conclusion that you saw the hotels with their doors wide open. Now, we will take since Christmas; can you give me any Sunday when you passed and found any hotel with its doors wide open except in the case of the Boyal Oak Hotel, where they have forty or fifty boarders, and find it necessary to keep their doors open ?—I think so far as my memory serves me, this instance of the Albion Hotel was since Christmas. I have not bothered to remember the matter particularly, and may get mixed up within five months very easily. 354. Can you give any other instance when you were walking by to church ?—I think not. 355. Does that quite agree with your previous statement that you watched a house here with its doors wide open and people walked in, as many as forty, in an hour or two ?—I did not make this statement. It was my private opinion, and I have not reasons to bring forward for it. 356. Mr. Taylor.] Have you systematically watched any houses during the last five months ?— No. 357. Now, about your movements last Sunday; did I meet you last Sunday morning by appointment ?■—Yes. 358. Where ?—At my own house. 359. Did I stay to dinner ?—No.