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269. Mr. Guinness.] You say that when you got the three copies you locked them up in the cupboard ? —Yes. 270. You are sure you locked up all the three copies?— Yes. 271. When had you occasion to go to the cupboard again to get the copies out?—l would not be certain. I am in doubt whether I did not take out one copy at once and give it round to the members, as 1 said I did. lam in doubt whether I did that at once or later. 272. You have no recollection as to the date on which you distributed the copies for correction ? —I would not be able to speak positively on the subject. 273. When the Committee met on the 22nd you were aware that one copy was missing ?— Yes. 274. Did you report that to the Chairman?— No. I concluded it was being used by one of the members or by himself. 275. You did not ask whether any one had taken it ?—No. I never dreamt that any one would abstract or purloin it. 276. When did you get back the copy corrected by the witnesses and members ?—I got that back at a very early period, on account of my desire to get it to the printer. 277. Has there been any printed copy of this evidence obtained yet ? —No. What was sent in to the printer has not been completed. 278. You heard Mr. Easton asking Mr. Cook some questions yesterday, and saw that he was examiuing from what appeared to be a copy of Mr. Cook's evidence?—l did not see any printed copy in his hands. I thought it was a brief he had prepared. 279. Mr Pirani.] Is there not any record kept by the clerk of the Committee as to what becomes of the evidence ? For instance, you hand the confidential evidence to a member of the Committee or to a witness: do you not keep a record of when it is sent out and when it is returned ?—No. 280. Mr. Guinness.] You made a report to Mr. Allen on Monday, the 26th, that one of the copies of the evidence was missing?— Yes. 281. It is not usual on the Goldfields and Mines Committee when evidence is taken to order three copies of that evidence ? —lt is not. 282. Who gave the order for the three copies to be taken ?-—The Chairman. 283. Did you ask him whether more than one copy should be ordered, or was any resolution passed on the Committee that more than one copy should be typewritten, or did any member say that more than one was wanted ? —No. I thought it followed from the fact that three copies of the petition were ordered to be printed. 284. Sir J. G. Ward.] You say that there were three copies of the petition ordered to be typewritten ?—Yes. 285. Who ordered that to be done ?—The Chairman. The application was made by Mr. Cook that he should be supplied with a copy of the charges levelled against him, and in order to enable him to have them the statement made by Mr. Easton was ordered to be typewritten. 286. Did Mr. Cook apply also for a copy of the evidence given by Mr. Easton ? Were three copies of the petition and evidence ordered at the same time ?—Yes, at the same time—on the 15th. 287. Now, with regard to the locking-up of the evidence : the evidence came to you on the 16th ?—Yes. 288. I understood you to say earlier in your evidence that you are not sure whether you locked up all the copies of the evidence or not ?—Yes, I am quite sure I locked them up. 289. You said you were not sure whether you locked up all the copies of the evidence with the other papers ?—That is because I was in doubt whether I did not start to get one of the copies corrected at once. The other copies would be locked up. 290. What you said in your evidence was that you were in the habit of gathering your papers and evidence up and locking them in a box, but that you were not sure whether you locked up the evidence amongst your papers on the 16th?—I got the evidence on the afternoon of the 16th, and my every-day practice was to lock up all the papers on the rising of the Committee. 291. The Cha rman.] In your previous evidence were you not referring to your usual practice on the rising of the Committee ?—Yes. My practice then was to put all the papers together and lock them up. My answer previously given with regard to these particular papers referred to another matter—that was, that these three papers came into my possession on the 16th, a day on which the Committee did not sit, and they were therefore the only papers before me at that particular time. 292. Did you lock up those papers ?—I either locked up two or three of them—that is to say, I might have taken one copy out for the purpose of getting it corrected, and then locked up the other two; or I might have locked all three copies up and taken one out almost immediately afterwards. 293. Sir J. G. Ward.] When these papers were locked up there were three keys to the box—one in your possession, one in the Chairman's, and one in Mr. Carncross's possession?— Yes. 294. You said they remained locked up from the 16th to the. 22nd unless some one had, removed them : had any member of the Committee or any witness an opportunity of correcting the evidence ?—I have no doubt 1 had one copy out to take round for correction for the printer. 295.. You are quite sure there was only one copy sent out ?—Yes. 296. You are equally sure that the copy we have with Mr. Cook's corrections is that one ? Are you quite sure the one in the printer's hands was not also sent round?— The evidence in the printer's hands will speak for itself. 297. Mr. Fisher.] Is it the fact that you missed this one paper that is not accounted for four days after the 16th, which would be Tuesday, the 20th?;—I missed it either three or four days after I received it.