F.—B.

116

[j. P. P. CLOUSTON.

90. Can you tell me this : of the 460 letters on Saturday and Monday—were they all the correspondence of this box? —Yes; all the envelopes were similar to that. 91. Mr. Gray.] Without inquiring why you did it—you referred a circular which came into your possession to Wellington ?—Yes. 92. May I ask this : was it in consequence of that reference that the 460 letters were held up for two days?—l could not say what happened in Wellington. 93. Did you lose any time in communicating with Wellington on the mailer that you referred to Wellington?— Absolutely no time was lost. 94. You have mentioned that Mr. Williamson asked you whether this stamp paper had been put on by you : was that asked in any specific way or in a casual way?—ln a casual way, as far as I remember. He did not point it out in any particular way :he just mentioned about it. 95. You say that in the performance of your duties there is no risk or danger of any of the clerks in the Post-office getting information as to the contents of matter submitted to you ?—Yes. 96. Does any clerk work at the same table ?—No. 97. When do you generally perform your censorship duties?— Generally after hours. It depends on the nature of the correspondence. Hit Worship: Is it necessary to ask, because he staled particularly and definitely that no person can obtain information? I think it better for a Censor to work in a separate room. I only give that as an expression of opinion. No doubt it will be taken notice of. It is uncontradicted that there is no possibility of other persons having access. Mr. Gray put in a specimen of gummed paper used in the Post-office for affixing to a letter found open in course of post. (Mr. Gray here (dosed his case.) Mr. Ostler desired to call a witness —the evidence only came into his hands that morning— a lady who was complained to by a friend that when her letter reached her it contained stamp paper on the back. She was there to swear she never put any stamp paper on when she posted it. Mr. Gray objected that the matter was not relevant —something that happened somewhere else and about which they could not possibly make any inquiry at that stage. How could it affect the inquiry ? Mr. Ostler said it was extremely relevant, because it showed that in the Post-office stamp paper gets on the backs of envelopes. Mr. Gray objected that His Worship was empowered to inquire into an allegation that certain letters had been improperly detained and opened, and that, it, was not relevant to show that some other person on some other occasion, having no reference to this, received or posted a letter with a piece of stamp paper on it. His Worship decided to take the evidence. Miss Elsie Bentlet examined. 1. Mr. Ostler.] Your name is Elsie Bentley?—Yes. 2. You are ledger-keeper at John Burns and Co. (Limited), hardware merchants, Auckland? —Yes. 3. You have a friend at Te Aroha named Madge Watson ?—Yes. 4. I understand you wrote to her recently?— Yes. 5. Did you post the letter yourself?—l posted the letter myself at the General Post-office three weeks ago last Sunday night. 6. When you posted it, was it stuck down with stamp paper by you?— No. 7. Did you receive this letter in reply? Mr. Gray objected. Mr. Ostler: Here is a letter from her friend to show the letter was stuck down with stamp paper, and she wants to know whether this lady put it on. His Worship: The only distance you can go is to ask this lady whether she says it was stuck down. Mr. Ostler: I can surely ask whether she received this letter [the reply]. Mr. Gray: You are referring to the letter she posted. The reply is inadmissible. Mr. Ostler: Did not her friend complain in this letter that the, letter arrived with stamp paper ? His Worship: I rule at once I am not going to admit that as evidence. Mr. Ostler: I submit that is evidence, or Ido not know what evidence is. His Worship: It is not admissible as evidence, on the broad elementary rules of evidence.

Auckland, Thursday, 23rd August, 1917. Mr. Gray: I desire, before commencing my address, to refer to a matter which was mentioned yesterday in the cross-examination of the Censor by my friend Mr. Ostler. Some reference was made to the little pieces of gummed stamp paper appearing on the backs of the envelopes, and I think my friend asked the Censor whether he had not been asked a question by Mr. Williamson, Chief Postmaster, with reference to those pieces of stamp paper, and that the answer of the Censor was that Mr. Williamson had made inquiry of him. Thereupon my learned friend Mr. Ostler interjected something to the effect that that answer could not be accurate, as Mr. William-