B. BENNIE.

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390. By " officials " you mean officials of the union?- -Yes, 1 should say so. 391. Was that the present union? —I thirk it would be. 392. Do you know any of the officials whom you applied to? —1 think 1 asked Mr. Dixon. I do not know that I knew any others. 393. Are you quite sure about it? —I wou',' . ' say positively that 1 did, but 1 think 1 did. 1 certainly did not write to them. 394. But if they say no application was made yu'i w >uid ii"t deny that?—No, 1 would not. 395. Mr. Tanks.] In regard to monobel and mo;;nbel No. 1, do yon allege that you were deliberately hoodwinked and deceived in regard to that?— i would not use that language. 396. Was it not a simple question of misunderstanding in regard-to the numeral ? ; —1 did not know there was a No. 1. I accepted the word " monobel." 1 had not a list of the permitted explosives. I understood Mr. Bishop to say it was a permitted explosive, and 1 added it to the list. I was satisfied that that was what he meant, and lie evidently, if Le knew, omitted to say No. 1. 397. You saw the vouchers in regard to compensation payments?— Certainly. 398. I think it is your duty to scan those vouchers? —It is my duty to carefully examine them, and if there is a mistake made I have to make it up. Only recently there was a mistake in a payment, and I received a demand from the Department to pay the amount into the Public Account. 399. So that there is no doubt that you did read that paper and know at the time that Willcox had been burned by gas?— That is so. 400. Have you an}' evidence or anything to suggest to you that Mr. Fletcher was deliberately concealing these cases from you? —No, I have no reason to think so. He freely gave me the lists of persons who had received minor injuries at the mine. The description of the injuries for which the claims on the relief fund were made indicated that they were such as might be caused on the football field or on the street on a Saturday night. If I were suspicious I asked for a return from Mr. Fletcher, knowing that he would investigate every claim. 401. You said that you had a conversation with Mr. Reed at the Thames in regard to the mine, and that he had his opinion and you had yours? —That was at the Auckland Exhibition. 402. Did you convey any part of your conversation to Mr. Fletcher? —No. 403. Or to any one else connected with the company?— No. 404. Did I understand you to say that the old fan is sufficient to supply ventilation required in the mine at the present time: was that your opinion?— Prior to this accident I held that opinion. 405. And I think you did not yourself ask that the company should install a new fan?— No. 406. Mr. Bennie, in your opinion is it possible to have a sudden inrush of gas sufficient to cause this explosion in a very short time? —Yes, I remember one such inrush at the Kaitangata Mine about 1886. 407. That occurred quite suddenly?— Yes. 408. Mr. Wilford.] You stated that when Mr. Heed and you were at the Thames there was a letter in front of you, I presume, addressed to the Under-Secretary, containing Mr. Miller's opinion?—No, my memo, had gone to the Under-Secretary, and 1 showed Mr. Reed my copy. 409. Then you had forwarded the contents of Mr. Miller's opinion to the Under-Secretary?— Yes. 410. I think you told Mr. Reed that the opinion was against the prosecution?—l showed him the letter and he glanced over- it, and he asked me " Is Mr. Miller a reliable mining solicitor? " and I said " Yes." 411. You always considered Ralph's Mine a safe mine? —Yes. 412. That was your opinion, and you are a man of many years' experience, and yet it blew up?—So did Kemble, and Brunner, and Kaitangata. 413. They were considered by you to be safe mines : you considered Ralph's a safe mine, and yet it blew up ? —Yes. 414. You were asked by Mr. Napier whether Mr. Reud gave you the impression that he thought there would be such a disaster as occurred at Ralph's Mine, and you said " No "?—He gave it to the Under-Secretary. The Under-Secretary did not give it to me. I have no knowledge of that. 415. It is on the Under-Secretary's file. You know that Mr. lieed wrote to the UnderSecretary and predicted it?—He says so. 416. Have you not seen it?— Officially I do not know what Mr. Reed wrote to the UnderSecretary, unless my attention is drawn to it. 417. Your attention has been drawn to it by the Commission. Do you want to trifle with this Commission? I ask you do you know that Mr. Reed predicted this catastrophe at Ralph's Mine to the Under-Secretary?—From the file placed before the Commission I understand it is so. 418. Is it not also a fact that as late as the 12th September, 1914, the date of the disaster, Mr. Blow wrote to the Minister of Mines as follows : " The above [that is, a wire from Mr. Bennies clerk reporting the accident] is the only intimation so far received, but doubtless Mr. Bennie will wire a further report after he reaches Huntly. This shows that the fears of the Inspecting Engineer were well grounded." Do you know that that is a fact? —I see you are reading it from the file. 419. Did you know that Mr. Reed had written to the Under-Secretary predicting this disaster in six letters, four of which directly predicted it? Did you know that he had predicted it?— No. 420. If Mr. Reed were to predict a disaster lie would predict it to his superior officer?— That is so.