25

I.—6b

563. I should like to ask, Mr. Burns, by the expression that " alterations are so continually made?"-—For some days, and sometimes for some weeks, before Statements are delivered they are continually being altered back and fore. 564. To what alteration do you refer —to alterations in the setting of the type, or alterations to the manuscript ?—Both. Shifting figures; cancelling figures already written in the Statement. For instance, altering figures in the tables, or even transposing the position of the tables—the numerical order of them. 565. Hon. Sir B. Stout.] He is speaking of ordinary things?—Of things that are being prepared for Ministers. 566. Mr. Tanner.] Will that account for a table being marked "C" in one list, and "D" in another ? —That is possibly the fault of the reader in not getting the tables marked consecutively in the order of the alphabet. I would not say whether that belongs to the Printing Office, or whether the alteration was made by the department. It is quite possible we are at fault ourselves in that, because there is a great hurry-skurry at the last moment getting these things together. They are all in separate galleys, or frames, and they have to be got together and put in continuous page form ; so it is possible we may have made the mistake. 567. Mr. Guinness.] How long have you been in the office ?—About twenty-nine years. 568. You have had experience in setting up many Public Works Statements and Financial Statements ?—Yes; from the beginning of the public-works policy and before. 569. Have you known alterations made by way of correction to the Statements—Financial or Public Works Statements ? —Oh, yes. 570. After their delivery ? —Yes. 571. Before the final print is sent out for circulation?— Yes, as a rule. We only print the issue necessary for circulation in the House on the evening of delivery, and we then await orders to proceed, because very often corrections are made —polishing up the Statement a bit, the same as a member would do his proof in Hansard, slight alterations of that kind. We never work the whole number off until we have authority that the thing is correct, because it is generally done in a hurry. - 572. Look at this concluding paragraph here; there is an item of £295,978. —Yes. 573. In the same Statement you will find in one of the tables that these figures do not agree with the figures there. Do you notice that ?—Yes, I do. 574. This is the first print ?—Yes. 575. When you got your orders to complete the print, would you consider it an unusual thing to correct that figure so as to make it tally with the figure attached to it ? —No, certainly not. 576. Has such a course of procedure been followed in the past ?—I remember, many years ago, there was a Public Works Statement, I believe it was during the time of Sir Julius Vogel, and there was some mistake. I cannot tax my memory now whether it was with regard to the figures. Something was the matter, and we were ordered to cancel the issue first printed, and there was a fresh issue. As far as I remember, the words " Amended "or " Eevised edition " were put on it. 577. Hon. Sir B. Stout.] There was a revise in 1885-86. It was a Financial Statement, and it was marked " revise." It was so, was it not ? —Something of that, " Bsvised edition "or " Corrected edition." 578. But you say it has frequently been the practice, or do you not say it is a common practice to alter the Financial and Public Works Statements after the first print has been distributed amongst members the night of its delivery?—l say this, that we have to wait orders. But I must say that the bulk of the corrections that came under my notice have been polishing up the grammar or punctuation—improving the reading of the Statement. 579. But where in one Statement, as we have it here, the figures in a paragraph of the Statement do not tally with the figures on the tables attached to support that paragraph, that would not be an unusual correction to make—to make it tally ?—I cannot say ;I do not remember a case like that occurring. It might possibly have occurred without my taking notice of it, because we are so used to obeying orders and following instructions —we have really no time to read and see what the correction is, or the effect of it. 580. With regard to the tables, Sir Bobert Stout pointed out one table marked C ; and in the second edition of the table, so to speak, marked D, there is an alteration in some of the figures. Would you say that it is an unusual thing to make corrections of that sort ?—No. I do not think it is. We have had alterations in figures in some of the tables but not very often. Mr. G. J. Clapham examined. 581. The Chairman.] What position do you occupy in the Public Works Department ?— Accountant. 552. Are these the figures that you handed to Mr. Blow, the basis of the Public Works Statement? —These are not my figures, none of these. 583. Whose are they? —They are, I believe, the figures of one of the cadets in the office. The inference is, these figures were dictated by me. I have no distinct recollection of these figures, but as Accountant, I perhaps did give them. 534. They should have come under your notice?— They should. 585. Mr. Wright.] It is stated by Mr. Blow in his letter of the 26th July, when the Statement was being compiled —that is, the Public Works Statement: " I got a memorandum of the expenditure for the last seven years from our Accountant's office, which, owing to some unfortunate misapprehension, gave the net instead of the gross figures for 189 L—92." Now, can you produce these figures?— These are the figures that were mentioned; they were intended to be the ones [marked Exhibit 3.] 586. Do you accept the responsibility for these figures ? —Yes. I accept the responsibility, although, I may say, I have no distinct recollection of giving them. I give a great many figures in the course of the year, especially during Statement time, and I may have given these figures. I cannot say I did not. 4—l. 6b.