10

H.—33c

The Controller and Auditor-General: The voucher has been exhibited to you for every payment made at Christchurch during the period that could, if the voucher were genuine be the voucher in question-that is, every such voucher as shown by the Chief Postmaster s record, and the Audit Office has proved from its own books that there has been no voucher tor the amount omitted. So that all the other payments made at Christchurch within the period, during which you say the payment must have been made, cannot possibly in my judgment include the voucher. Mr WiUis: But you are not anticipating fraud, and believe that the system has not been tampered with or failed in any way, whereas I and three others actually handled tor several minutes and commented upon a voucher which your books show, according to you, to have no existence. This shows that there is evidently something wrong. The Controller and Auditor-General: The Audit Office has shown you all the vouchers for all the payments within, the amount of the voucher in question according both to the Chief Fostmasters f record, as verified by the Audit Office books, and the Audit inspection of each voucher has been such as to leave no ground for suspicion or doubt as to its genuineness. Mr Willis: There I think you are wrong, because I am satisfied that in the examination made by the Audit officer and myself any deception or manipulation of the voucher could not InTAuditor-General: This resolves itself into a question as to the genuineness of the vouchers exhibited to you ? . Mr Willis: Either that or else there is some defect in the system of recording the payments. I would for this reason ask to see the entry in the Treasury books of every payment according to the Chief Postmaster's record without limit as to the amount. The Controller and Auditor-General: This would go only to show that the Treasury books weie right or wrong according as they agreed or differed with the Audit Office books and the vouchers eXhlh Sr l 'Willis: There is a possibility of error. Then, as I have said, the whole thing rests on the original voucher, and 1 think a voucher could very easily be tampered with. _ The Controller and Auditor-General: With reference to your conversations with Captain Fisher MH R., Mr. Morris, the Chief Clerk, if I recollect aright, mentioned what he had heard from you of an interview which took place between Mr. Fisher and yourself on his arrival at Christchurch, after he gave the particulars of the Sneddon voucher, but which you do not appear to have described in your evidence? . Mr Willis ■ I did not think the interview of sufficient importance. The circumstances are briefly these: On the Monday, 31st July, I met Mr. Fisher in Cathedral Square. He asked me ''Was that voucher for Sneddon?" I replied, " I believe it was." There was no time for further conversation. But after 5 o'clock in the afternoon I called at his office and waited for his arrival. On entering he informed me that he had come to the conclusion that there was only one thing to do in the circumstances. Pointing to several telegrams which he proposed to send, he said, "I have decided to make the amende honourable lam telegraphing to the Premier and his son offering a full and ample } t hen asked him his reasons for taking such a course. He said, " Oh, that voucher was Sneddon s. I answered that there was still a Seddon voucher, and he said, Are you sure? _ and it was then that I pointed out, as 1 explained a few days ago, that he had made a mistake in quoting, in the heat of the debate the number supplied by me of what was the nearest voucher to the amount he gave me I again assured him that there was a voucher for R. J. S. Seddon and that besides my own knowledge Messrs. Larcombe and West had that very morning reminded me of its having gone through our office. He asked me did I tbink Larcombe and West would be prepared to come forward and testify so. 1 did not know, and suggested his calling upon them In the presence of Mr Taylor and myself, Messrs. Larcombe and West, in reply to a question from Mi•. Fisher stated'they distinctly'remembered a voucher for R. J. S. Seddon for a payment exceeding £70 for reorganization of Defence stores, and that they were prepared to tell the truth before any tribunal in the land. . ~ ~ . ■ The Controller and Auditor-General: I understand that you wish all your evidence to be PU %r. Willis: Yes. I am exceedingly anxious that it should be published, and so are Messrs. Larcombe and West that their evidence should be published. The Controller and Auditor-General: Yes, they left me with that impression Mr. Willis: I wish the evidence to be published because nobody could judge of the matter without seeing the whole of the evidence. Richard John Spotswood Seddon, Captain, of Wellington, sworn and examined. 1 The Controller and Auditor-General.] Have you ever received in Christchurch any payment for your services to the New Zealand Government or Imperial Government?— No. 2 Have you ever receipted in Christchurch a voucher for money payable out of the Public Account by a Treasury cheque countersigned by the Chief Postmaster there, or payable by any cheque so countersigned ?-No. I have never been in the Chief Postmaster's room m my life to my knowledge. of employment in the public service, been engaged in or about the reorganization of Defence stores in Wellington or elsewhere I—No 4. Have you ever inspected Defence stores?— No. It has not been any part of my duty to ° S °s Have you ever received any payment for reorganizing Defence stores?— No. 6. Have you ever received any payment for inspecting Defence stores?— Mo.