F.—B

[G. W. ItUDD

86

14. Both addressed to you?— Yes. 15. In the same handwriting?— Yes. 16. Two separate letters?— Two separate letters. 17. 1 suppose you have not retained the envelopes, not knowing this inquiry was coming? —No. 18. So you received two envelopes in the same handwriting, each containing the circular with the white card?— Yes. 19. Have you examined these envelopes, on which it is suggested there is evidence of stamping with the flaps open ?—Yes. 20. Do you agree that they show that these envelopes were stamped with the flaps out? —Yes. 21. Have you any doubt about it ?—No doubt. 22. Would you say the same of this one —Findlay—which you have not seen before?— Yes. 23. With respect to this envelope which my friend Mr. Ostler produced to-day, addressed to Mr. Howden, View Road, and on which there is "Try Houten": do you know him?— Yes; I know him by sight. He is at the corner of Bellevue Road and Dominion Road. 24. This is not a correct address?— Not quite. 25. What do you say to the action of the letter-carrier in writing " Try Houten " and " Not found"?—lf that was sorted to the letter-carrier delivering in View Road he would have a hard job to find that man. There is a View Road, and a Bellevue Road, off Dominion Road. 26. Then it was not unreasonable for the letter-carrier to have returned it, the addressee not having been found at that particular address? —Quite right. 27. Mr. Williamson produced eight envelopes which, were pul in, he said, to test whether they could go through unchecked —unobserved : do you know anything about them? —I do. 28. Tell His Worship how it came about? —The Assistant Postmaster asked me 29. What is the Assistant Postmaster's name?— Mr. Harwood. He asked me to test Mr. Linton and Mr. Comrie with regard to envelopes received without contents. He gave me these letters. One of the officers date-stamped them, and we placed them in front of Mr. Linton and Mr. Comrie, and they passed them quite easily. We placed them with two hundred or three hundred other letters, and they did not take any notice of them. 30. They passed them for delivery at those addresses? —They sorted them up to these addresses. 31. Mr. Ostler.] Are those invented addresses? —Four I know to be genuine addresses: they are relations of mine. Ido not know the other four. 32. Mr. Gray.] With respect to censoring correspondence, you know, 1 suppose, as every officer in the office knows, that correspondence is sometimes submitted to the Censor? —Yes. 33. Whose duty is it to send correspondence pursuant to such an order to the Censor?—lt is detected by the men sorting. 34. That is, if the correspondence of John Smith is directed to be censored, any officer who sees a letter come through for John Smith is required to put it on one side for the Censor : what does he do with it? —There is a special position on the sorting-case for letters addressed to the Chief Postmaster. The head of the staff or the assistant head of the staff conies along and collects them, and sends them to the Censor upstairs. 35. Have you anything to do with that ?—I am in charge of it to see it is done. 36. Every officer wdio has passing through his hands matter which is directed to be censored is supposed to put it into a special case for the Censor? —Yes. 37. Do you know whether or not any of the letters or envelopes bearing the superscription " Box 912, Auckland," posted on the 3rd or sth July, were submitted to the Censor?—No, they were not. 38. You know that? —Yes. 39. Do you know why it was not done?— The officer sorting forgot, all about it, 40. I am going to call Mr. Linton. Was it Mr. Linton's duty to see that all those bearing that number were put into the case ?—Yes. 41. I will ask him why he did not do it. Do you know whether any letters bearing that superscription posted on the Friday night. 6th July, were submitted to the Censor?— They held up. 42. For the Censor?— Yes. 43. Do you know how many?—l do not know. 44. Would Mr. Linton know? —He may. 45. Who should know?—He should. 46. Of course, the Censor will know: I thought perhaps you would? —No. On Thursday night I rang Mr. Linton up from my home and told him to be very careful. 47. Was that in pursuance of any instruction?— Through the day I received instruction from the Chief Postmaster. 48. That instiuction Mr. Williamson has deposed to—that on the 6th July he put an order in the order-book drawing attention to the previous order, and in consequence you gave a special instruction to Mr. Linton ?—Yes. 49. I do not know that it is a matter of very great public interest, but may I ask what your religion is?—l am a Methodist. 50. A Wesleyan Methodist-—not a Roman Catholic? —Yes. 51. Mr. Osiler.] Who was it suggested this letter test you conducted of these sorters —was it voii ?—No. 52. Who was it? [Witness asked if that was a fair question, and His Worship replied that everything said in the inquiry was privileged.]