F—B.

H. G. WOODS.]

105

Mr Ostler: Mr. Hannan has said it was delivered open. " The officer who discovers such an article must immediately bring il under the notice of a responsible officer, when the contents must be verified in the presence of each, and flic authorized label affixed and endorsed 'Found open or ' imperfect ly scaled.' Mr. Gray: That does not apply. Mr. Ostler: It was my mistake. Ernest Herbert Taylor, Letter-carriers' Sorter, Auckland, examined. 1. Mr. Gray.] What is your name? —Ernest Herbert Taylor. 2. You are one of the letter-carriers' sorters in the Auckland Post-office? —Yes. 3. How long have you occupied that position?— Three years permanently. ■I. The time-book i's there: can you say at what time you went on duty on the morning of the 3rd July?—At 5.10. 5. What other sorter was there?— Mr. William A. Abercrombie. 6. Was Bush there licit morning, too? —Yes. 7. Did you personally sort the letters from the tables into the various letter-carriers' walks?— I did. 8. Did yon observe any envelopes such as these which were empty?—l remember sorting a lot of letters thai morning. I could not say whether any were empty or not. I). Your attention was not attracted to any empty envelopes?—No, not at all. 10. You recollect sorl ing a lot of circular matter with penny stamps on ? —Yes. 11. Would il be possible, in sorting a large amount of mail-matter of this description, for the sorter lo pass envelopes which were empty? Yes; I think they would in a case like thai. •12. Why "in a case like that " ?—On Hie Ist of the month, and having to get the local mail through before the Main Trunk arrived. 13. Would the fact of twelve hundred letters of Ibis kind being with the ordinary matter help to make you more busy?-r—l es. 14. Would it be possible for the sorter lo pass envelopes which had the flaps out?— No. . I would mil have passed (hem like (hat. 15. Not if you had noticed them. Hul in sorl ing a large number do you say it would not be possible lo miss seeing the Haps out of circular matter? —I could not miss, I think. 16. Even though they had conn- up from below stamped in that way. Can you say what condition that one was in when il came upstairs!— That one wis out. by the looks of it—by the appearance 1 he flap was out. 17. What do you say aboul that [another specimen |? —Thai was in. IS. Does that indicate thai the mail-room staff of sorters had passed if below?— Yes. li). And are they belter or worse al sorting than you people upstairs ?—That is a hard question for me to answer. I have never worked in the mail-room, so could not say. 20. Was anything unusual done with the letters on the morning I have spoken about?— Not lo my knowledge. 21. As far as you know was anything taken oul of any envelope?— Nothing at all. 22. Mr. Ostler.] Is i i a fact that the mail-room officersare generally senior officers —men longer in I he service ?—No ; I hat is not so. 23. At any rate, I suppose they would not put men on in the mail-room unless they have had some little experience sorting letters as letter-carriers, or so on? —Yes; they start them off as cadets i n I he mail-room. 24. Do they ever start them off in (he letter-carriers' branch unless (hey have had some little experience?— Not in sorting. 25. Do the cadets in (he mail-room do the sorting?— Not until they have had a certain amount of experience. 26. You said that on the Ist of the month you were busy : this was the 3rd of the month?—We call it the first of the month until about the 10th. 27. In the early days of the month more letters go through than towards the end? —Yes. 28. Can you remember whether it was specially busy on the morning of the 3rd July?— Yes. 29. It was?— Yes. 30. More busy than it would have been, say, on the 3rd June?—No; just, an ordinary Ist of the month busy time. 31. And I understand you were able to have everything cleared up before the southern mail came in? —Yes. 32. Would you have any time to spare after clearing up and before the southern mail coming in? —On that particular morning? That \ could not answer. 33. Could you answer it by reference to any time-book /—-After, say, the 10th we have about ten minutes. 34. There cannot be a great lot of difference between the time taken to sort in the early days of the month and the later days?— There is this difference: after the 10th one of the two is allowed to come on duly at 6, the other at 5. 35. In both cases—whether before or after the 10th —you are nearly always able to stop before.the southern mail comes in?—lt must be a very special day if we cannot. 36. Do you think if likely that these letters would have gone through all the sortings that take place in the Post-office and it still not be detected that there were some empty envelopes?— T do not quite get that question. 37. There is a soiling in the mail-room, a sorting in your department, and also a lettercarriers' sorting—three sortings. Do you think it likely these letters would have gone through those three sortings without it being detected that some were empty?—l think so.

14— F. 8.