CAPTAIN CLARK.I

29

I.—lc.

2nd New Zealand Brigade, Ninth Contingent.—Newcastle, 20th April, 1902.—(Extract.) — Staff.—Captain J. J. Clark, Bight Wing Adjutant. Seventh New Zealand Contingent, to be Staff Adjutant to the Brigade.— J. J. Clabk, Captain, Staff Adjutant." These documents that I have quoted are extracts from regimental orders —in the last case brigade orders—affecting the two gratuities of £50 each. I have learned during the course of the inquiry that these are only applicable to embodied Militia, and are not applicable to New Zealand contingents. If that is the case I presume that no further notice can be taken of the claims, as the gratuities are not applicable to us ; but I may say that it has only been in a casual way during the course of the inquiry that 1 have learned that. The vouchers have been in since the 28th February, 1903. When the reply giving the information that these gratuities are only applicable to embodied Militia came to hand in New Zealand 1 could not say, but I have not been advised of it yet. I will be perfectly satisfied if the Department only tell me honestly and fairly that we are not entitled to them, and will not press the matter further. But I think it rather irregular that I should only hear of an important matter like this casually during the inquiry. If it had not come out then, very likely I should have gone on for some considerable time without being informed. All these vouchers that I have mentioned amount to £634 os. 3d. Certainly, that is a fair sum of money, you will say : how does that come to one officer? The Committee must not forget that the sum of £357 17s. 9d. of this was earned before my return to New Zealand, not after my return. That reduces the total claim from £634 os. 3d. to £276 2s. 6d. —the amount for which I am now petitioning the House. Regarding the voucher for £276 2s. 6d., I think I have already pretty well touched upon it. You have heard the General's remarks about the intricate nature of the work. The General said that the work was intricate. You have heard also Colonel Chaytor's evidence that the work was carried out as expeditiously as possible. I worked in the same office as Colonel Chaytor for four months, and he had every opportunity of judging whether the work was carried out satisfactorily ami quickly, and you have heard what he has said. It has been remarked during the inquiry that an ordinary clerk at 10s. per day could have done the work. Well, the General seems to think otherwise; Colonel Chaytor seemed to think otherwise ; Major Smith seemed to think otherwise; and I most assuredly say otherwise. The work could not have been done by an ordinary clerk. An ordinary clerk could have done the work if I had dictated it to him, but it would have been impossible for him to have found out the information contained in the rolls. That an ordinary clerk could have done the work at 10s. is not correct. Besides, I went out to Africa as a sergeant; I came back a captain. Being there close on three years, I certainly considered it an insult to be offered practically a labourer's wages on my return. Other officers had been paid according to their rank. Supposing a young fellow goes to Edinburgh to study medicine ; he goes away uncultured ; he comes back cultured and qualified and has his degree. How will he like then to be paid little better than an ordinary labourer ? 24. Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones.} You do not call £4 a week a labourer's wage, do you?—l do not call it anything special. I do not think it was compatible with my rank since I came back. Besides, they have not even the fairness to offer it for the whole period. Now, to come to the authority given by the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones on the 9th July, 1902, for three months' employment at £4 a week, it has been suggested that that was offered to me, and that I was preparing the King's Medal roll under this authority. You heard what the General had to say about that. He distinctly stated that it was not understood I was working under that authority when 1 prepared the King's Medal roll. 25. The Chairman.) It would be hardly possible if, as you say, you never heard of it ?—Quite so. I have already said that I have been paid for the Ninth Contingent work according to my rank. Major Smith, in his evidence on Friday, stated that they had tried to get Major Johnston to do the Seventh work; but he was returning to Africa on the " Montrose," and could not do the work. Now, it was either Major Johnston or myself who could do the Seventh work. Nobody else but Major Johnston and myself could—or perhaps I should say Colonel Porter as well, and if they had had to pay him according to his rank it would have been much more serious. Why I make that statement is that making out the discharge-certificates is a very simple thing. Anybody could do that. You have to get the names from the roll; but the peculiar part about the certificates is that you have to give a man a character. Anybody could do that too, you might say; but he could not without having a personal knowledge of the man. There was no record at the office to define a man's character. That, as I say, could only be obtained by a personal knowledge of the man. It was either Major Johnston, myself, or Colonel Porter who could have done that ; and I may say that Colonel Porter, being the Commanding Officer, naturally could not know the men as well as I, who had to mix more closely with them. 26. Bt. Hon. B. J. Seddon.] There were more officers in the Seventh, surely?— Quite so, but they did not know the men as well as I did. 27. Could not the captains of the squadrons have done it? —Yes, you could have got the squadron-leaders to report on their men; but there was no single officer who could have charactered the whole lot. In the case of captains, you must remember that three of them had remained in Africa, so that three squadrons could not have been reported upon by their captain on that account. You heard what Major Smith had to say about Major Johnston—that he would have dotie the work if he had had time. Major Johnston's pay, according to his rank, would have been £1 Bs. a day, with detention allowance 12s. 6d., a total of £2 os. 6d. a day. I did the work, and claimed, according to my rank, £1 12s. 6d. a day. Major Johnston would have had to be paid £2 os. 6d. Whatever may be thought with regard to the preparation of the King's Medal roll, I may point out that the portion of time I was employed at the Headquarters Office making out the discharges for the Seventh Contingent must be reckoned entirely different from the preparation of the King's Medal roll. It was work that had to be done by an officer. Major Smith admitted that Major Johnston would have had to be paid if he had done it. I did it, and it was exactly the same