I.—lc.

34

[captain clabk.

86. This was only a subterfuge : you would have taken the money and still made a further claim? That was your intention?— That was my intention. That note was put on the voucher accordingly. 87. On that voucher the " A " is placed opposite the item of £19 10s., so that according to the voucher your only question would be in regard to the £19 10s. ?—That is so. 88. Were you going to make a further claim on that ?—Yes. 89. Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones.] Did you put in that letter " A " ? —Yes. 90. It entirely dissociates the note from the question of the payment of the £4 a week for the medal work —there is no question about that?— No. 91. Look at the voucher yourself. [Voucher handed to witness.] Will you point out if there is any connection between the two? —I have already said there is no connection between the two. 92. What I understood you to say was that you made this claim for £4 a week without prejudice ?—No. 93. I took it down in my notes that you sent in this voucher without prejudice to your original claim, because you intended to get the difference later on ?—I think you will find that my words were that, in amending my claim from captain to lieutenant, I marked the claim " without prejudice," and in amending it to £4 a week I minuted " without prejudice." 94. Why do you draw a distinction between the two items—one for work in connection with the contingent and the other for the preparation of the King's Medal rolls ? With regard to the contingent roll, you put it without prejudice to your rank as captain, but with regard to the other it is perfectly clear that there is nothing about " without prejudice," or anything of the sort ?—No, I do not think so. 95. Will you show me if there is anything to allow you to make a further claim—whether there is any statement " without prejudice "to any previous claim? For instance, in making out this voucher you must have known about that footnote " in full payment of the above account " ? —I should know it. 96. You have had to do with vouchers a good deal ?—No. 97. Not in the office ? —I only submitted one voucher. 98. You received other payments from the Department ?—Yes. 99. And you have seen similar footnotes to those ? —Yee, I have. 100. You are aware that the moneys were " in full payment of the above account " ? —No ; I would not like to say that I was. 101. You are aware that, from the manner in which this voucher of yours is made out, any previous claim of yours with regard to that portion marked " A " is protected because you have put " without prejudice " to that? —Yes. 102. Is there anything there to protect any previous claim with regard to the medal roll ? — No. 103. Supposing the Department had agreed to pay you the £82 13s. 4d. for the medal roll, and they had offered you a cheque for that, and you had had this put before you, what would you have done ?—I would have accepted it. 104. And have signed this receipt ?—Yes ; because I could not get payment without signing it. 105. With regard to your rank, you were an Imperial. officer, I understand, while in South Africa—at any rate, for the later contingents? —I understood so. We were paid by the Imperial Government. 106. What was your rank in the Imperial service ? —Lieutenant. 107. You were a lieutenant in the Imperial service for the time you were making up the contingent rolls. Why did you make a claim for pay as a captain ?—Because I was a captain in New Zealand. 108. lam speaking of the Imperial service. You were an Imperial officer ? —We have not touched on that exactly. That is more in connection with the other petition, that of the co-peti-tioners. 109. I want to keep the two distinct ?—But you cannot; that is the trouble. 110. You were a lieutenant in the Imperial service; why did you put in a claim for pay as a captain? —Because I had already made claims for the difference in pay between the rank of lieutenant and captain. 111. Your rank was that of a lieutenant in South Africa?— Yes; but immediately I put my foot on land here my rank was that of captain. 112. While you were an Imperial officer engaged on Imperial work your rank in the Imperial service was that of lieutenant ?—Quite so. 113. But still you put in a claim for pay for the rank of captain ?—Yes. 114. Were you doing right ?—I also put in a claim for the difference in pay between the rank of lieutenant and captain. 115. You charge £1 a day —a captain's pay ?—Quite so ; but in connection with the other petition I have also put in a voucher for the difference in pay between the rank of captain and lieutenant from the time of my promotion by the New Zealand Government. 116. I want to keep to this petition. Where were you made a lieutenant ?—ln Africa. 117. Were you a captain in the Imperial service when you reached New Zealand?—-I do not think so. 118. Then, you are only a lieutenant still?—We had left the Imperial service immediately on leaving Durban. 119. Were you not an Imperial officer until you were discharged ?—I do not think so. 120. The later contingents all belonged to the Imperial service ?—I am not certain of the conditions. I could not say. 121. With regard to the detention allowance: You joined the contingent in Wellington, and were residing in Wellington at the time you joined ?—Quite so.