42

I.—B.

J. C. H. MOIR.

at present we take the first leaf on the board. The leaves are perforated and are flapping about with the wind all day, and it is quite easy for them to be torn off by the wind and destroyed and never to be found at all. They might become lost or mislaid. I did not intend to infer that any of the officers of the department would do away with any of the leaves, but it frequently happens that a number of the leaves are torn in half. 139. I am asking you to assume a proper system of filing and keeping those reports?— Yes. 140. And then to assume whether the object of the men would not be served sufficiently provided that in the event of anything going wrong you had access to the previous reports of any particular car?—lt may be all right, but we prefer the old system of the book which we could always refer to at any time we wished to. 141. But you could not have any objection to the other system provided a system were devised by which it would be made certain that all of those reports would be retained? —If they could make certain. 142. Then you would have no objection?—lf we could make certain that we should always be allowed to have those at any time and we could rely on those leaves always being complete, then Ido not see that we should have any objection; but as they cannot rely on it, we would not have the same system. 143. Mr. Bosser] You are president of the federation?— Yes. 144. And the executive meets regularly?— Yes. 145. Is it in close communication with the other unions, and especially with the Auckland Union, regarding any complaints?— Yes, we have to consider all complaints; they are all referred to the executive. 146. Is it not a fact that you have a copy of every quarterly report sent by me to the members of the union? —Yes. 147. Those quarterly reports are submitted to the men at the meeting?— Yes. 148. Have you had any particulars there as to the brakes being complained of?— Yes, in almost every one of those reports that I have read there is a reference to the complaints from the men about the brakes in Auckland. 149. Then your statements are not really hearsay, but the results of official communication?— Yes, that is so. 150. Now, have the Wellington motormen access to the file of loose leaves after they have been filed away? —It is not in a position where we can get at it. 151. Have you never applied for it?—l have not, and Ido not know anybody who has. 152. Are you aware that after motorman Lowe's accident the Auckland book was clamped down so that the men could not turn it up ? —Yes. 153. Was your book a bound ledger?—Tt was something after the style of an ordinary book. 154. You say that the book was xvithdrawn after the Cuba Street accident?— Yes. 155. Would you regard that as only an incident that it was after the Auckland accident that our book was withdrawn?—lt seemed a very peculiar thing to us that it was withdrawn just at the time, because we had to refer back to that book for several things at the time. It looked rather suggestive. 156. Mr. O'Shea] With regard to the brake-failures, do you remember the Brooklyn accident? —Yes. 157. Did not the motorman there say the brake had failed?— Well, T was not at that inquiry. I believe he said the brake had failed, but I am not certain. 158. Do you know what the result of the inquiry was?— No. 159. Do you not know that he had reversed his lever to run back through the loop, and that, having failed to reverse that lever, the brake was put, out of operation?—No, T have not heard that. 160. What did the motorman attribute as the cause of the Cuba Street accident?— Failure of the brake. 161. Did the Public Works Department have anything to do with that? —T do not know. 162. You do not know 7 the result of the inquiry?— Well, the man was disrated, and he is still a conductor. We have appealed against the decision, and the whole of our evidence was given : but there was none from the other side, and the man is still in the same position. 163. The committee of the City Council seems to be satisfied the man was in fauft?—But that does not satisfy us ; we have a right to protect the man. 164. In regard to the repair-book, have you ever asked at any inquiry that the loose leaves should be produced?—No, not. that I am aware of. 165. In regard to the examination, as a matter of fact, when you are driving a car your motions are instinctive—it is a sort of second nature to you?— Yes, to a certain extent it is, but a man must rely not only on second nature but keep his eyes about, him. .166. You have got, to act without thinking: you have got to know the car and equipment, and really to act without thinking?—No, hardly; if you did that you would get into trouble. 167. You have to be so familiar with your equipment that you act immediately?— You have to be thoroughly acquainted with it. 168. Are the cars throughout the colony similar to such an extent that service on one enables you immediately to deal with another? —The difference is not so great that a man could not drive one of the other cars with a day's practice. A competent man with an hour's practice could drive any of the other cars in New Zealand. 169. How long does a man take to learn to drive a car?— That depends on the man himself. He may be a good driver in five or six days, and it may be five or six weeks before he can drive "a car. Some learn in five days.