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answer shall be, nor shall I attempt to interfere with your replies. 1 wish your answer to be given dearly and distinctly. We are here to inquire into certain allegations. The first is at the top of page 63, Hansard No. 17 : " If we were to consider the public antecedents of the Premier as leading to this debasement of Parliamentary and public life, we may trace, in the course of an indifferent repute in an obscure part of the colony, the explanation of much that otherwise may appear surprising." Do these words appear to you to convey a reflection upon the character of the Premier of the colony ? —Yes, certainly. 212. You, I understand, were Mayor of the Borough of Kumara in the early days, and knew Mr. Seddon well?— Yes. 213. Do you consider from your knowledge of Mr. Seddon's character during the whole of the time you knew him on the Coast bear out in any way the assertion here made ?—No ; not at all. 214. What was Mr. Seddon's character during the time you knew him on the Coast?— His character was all right. I never heard anything against it. 215. He never stood in indifferent repute among his fellow townsmen there ?—No. 216. You were intimately acquainted with him ?—Yes. 217. You consider the statement I have read absolutely incorrect?— Yes. 218. Further down that page it refers to an overpayment by the Borough Council, and Mr. George Hutchison refers to a special audit. Was it ever ascertained that Mr. Seddon was overpaid £219 10s. ? —No, it never was. 219. Was he ever accused of it—did any one believe he was so paid ?—No, because they knew nothing, and they never questioned him. 220. Not in connection with these moneys he was said to have received ?—No, certainly not. 221. With reference to the payment of moneys to Mr. Eichard John Seddon on behalf of Mr. Nathaniel Seddon, the inference is that it was an authority in his own favour—that he had drawn the amount of £219 10s. Is that correct ? —No, that is not true. He simply drew Nathaniel Seddon's salary for two months while he was away being in ill-health. 222. That is to say, during his temporary absence ?—Yes. 223. He authorised Mr. Eichard John Seddon to draw that money? —Yes. 224. Consequently this statement of Mr. Hutchison's which appears in Hansard is incorrect ? —Yes. 225. You have been questioned by Mr. Duthie at considerable length with reference to the meeting of the Borough Council in connection with the adoption of the auditors' report, at which Mr. Seddon is accused of stonewalling as a device against the prosecution of Wylde. Was he doing that so'that there should be investigation before prosecution ?—Yes ; that was the course he took. 226. He did not desire to block the business, but simply that there should be sufficient inquiry before action was taken ?—That was the attitude he took up. 227. He simply wished to have a thorough investigation by the committee of the Council before the prosecution was instituted ? —Yes. 228. Was not that in accordance with the advice of the borough solicitor that there should be this investigation before the prosecution was taken? —Yes. 229. Then Mr. Seddon, in what he was advocating, was advocating that the Council act in accordance with the advice of its own solicitor ?—Yes, as it turned out. 230. He was asking the Council to act in accordance with the legal advice of their own officer? —Yes. 231. The Crown Solicitor recommended that before a prosecution was taken the matter should be left in the hands of a committee to make inquiry into each particular case, and take such action as they deemed necessary, and Mr. Seddon was advising them that this particular recommendation should be given effect to?— Yes ; but that was never done. 232. You have been questioned as to the length of the meeting on this particular occasion, and you said it was only about an hour longer than is frequently the case at ordinary meetings ?—lt was not an uncommon occurrence at all for the meeting to last until 12 o'clock. 233. Under the circumstances, that there was a committee meeting which occupied a portion of the time of this particular meeting, it was nothing more than an ordinary meeting of the Council?— Yes. 234. What time did the ordinary business finish : was it at forty minutes past 1 o'clock, on the 9th November ? —I cannot tell you. 235. On the occasion of that second meeting, when you were away, at what time did the ordinary business of the Council finish? —I cannot tell you from memory. It went on very late, but I cannot give you details of that meeting. 236. I suppose, in view of the fact of this opinion of the solicitor, you would consider Mr. Seddon was justifiable in trying to get what he thought was right, and he did not unjustifiably prolong the proceedings of the Committee : do you think he did right in trying to get the solicitor's opinion given effect to ? —Of course, according to what he might think was right. 237. It is a matter of opinion ?—Yes; though at the time I opposed Mr. Seddon's efforts all through, and if the same thing happened again I should not oppose the line he took. 238. You thought it was not the right course to pursue ? —Yes. 239. In other words, you are prepared to say now that on that occasion Mr. Seddon was right in the attitude he took up, or, possibly, he might have been wrong ? —I think so. I think if all party spirit had been left out of it and there had been no personal animus in the Council against this man Wylde, and that if the matter had been properly investigated they would have found that really not much money had gone at all, because I do not think the larger sums were-robbed from the borough. I would not take the same course that I took then without clear proof that he got these moneys. 240. If the same thing occurred again you, with your knowledge and better experience, would