F.-8.

94

L. E. BRADY.

Launoet Eric Brady, Messenger. Post-office, Auckland, examined. 1. Mr. Gray.] What is your name?—Launcet Eric B)*ady. 2. You are a messenger in the Post-office al Auckland?— Yes 3. How long have you been there?—I have been in the Department five years. 4. How long have you been in the Auckland office?—A little over two years. 5. Is it part of your duty at night to do what the last witness said he was doing.'—Yes, it is part of our duty; we get our own Work done first. 6. Were you engaged in the early mornings of the 3rd and sth July in taking mails to steamers and bringing mails from steamers?—We have mails pretty well every night. I cannot swear to those nights. 7. Do you recollect whether you were doing any work in the mail-room on those mornings ! —We have to sweep the mail-room every morning. 8. Did you have anything to do with the facing-up of the letters?— Probably we did. 9. Did you have anything to do with the handling of the letters other than seeing they were faced the right way for the machine?— No. 10. Did you examine any of the letters to see whom they were for or from what source they came ?—No; it is not part of my duty. 11. And i, understand you did not handle them ?—No. 12. Mr. Ostler.] You heard the last witness?—I did. 13. You have swept up the mail-room every morning?—" Yes. 14. Do you ever find contents that have fallen out of letters when doing thai?—No, I have never done so in the mail-room. 15. And you have been in the mail-room how long?— Two years. 16. And never on one occasion have you found the contents of a letter, on the floor, or the contents of a letter containing a circular?— No. 17. For the purpose of facing up letters, of course, you must handle them?—Yes. 18. Do you work at a table when you are facing them ?—Yes. 19. Assisting one of Ihe sorters, I suppose?— Yes; usually the two of them. 20. Is it a fact that there are two tables at which they work in the mail-room?—There is one facing-up (able and there is a machine on both. There is another table with a machine on, too. 21. Does it nol sometimes happen that one sorter is working at one machine and another at the other ?—I have never seen it. 22. Do they usually work on one machine?—Yes, usually. 23. And they sort at a great rate, I suppose?— Yes. 24. And their attention is naturally wholly on their work?— Yes. 25. And they leave each of you to go about your work of facing them up just as closely? —They are usually there facing up with us. We are not allowed to face up by ourselves. 26. What do you mean by that?-—There must be a mail-room officer in the room. 27. Explain bow you do this facing up?—We pick the letters up and place them all in (he one position. They arc in a heap on the table. We pick them up and spread them out, and put them facing up the same way. 28. Mr. Gray.] I take if, in facing up like this your work is supervised by a senior officer/ —Yes-f 29. You are not allowed to do any facing up unless the senior officer is with you?— No. 30. May 1 lake it that in the mornings of the 3rd and sth there was only one table in use? —Yes, while I was there. James Couktney, Clerk, Chief Post-office, Auckland, examined. 1. Mr, Gray.] Your name?— James Courtney. 2. You are in the Post-office in Auckland?— Yes. 3. How long have you been there?— Twelve years. 4. How long have you been in the Postal service?—Fourteen years. 5. What are your duties?—Postal sorter. 6. Did you come on duty in the early hours of the 3rd and sth July?— Yes. 7. What time did you come on?—On the 3rd, I believe, half past 5, and on Ihe sth at 5 o'clock. lam not quite sure : I could toil from the time-book. 8. What were your duties when you came on?— 1 was on a, particular line making up all mails for over the water and Kaipara, line. That was the first duty. I would have to sort the correspondence for those places. 9. When you came on, was there correspondence in the sorting-room? What would have happened to Hie correspondence sorted by Linton and Comrie up till 5 o'clock in the morning? —They would put it in the basket ready for the letter-carriers to take away to their own room. Whether the correspondence would be in the room or mil would depend upon whether the lettercarriers had come on duty. Whether it was in the room I could not say. 10. Are you able to say whether you handled any correspondence when you came on duty that was taken out by the letter-carriers on those two mornings?—l could not say. Mr. Ostler: No questions.