L. SMITH.]

F.-8.

29

24. When did you first become aware?- —On Sunday. 25. Mr. Gray.] Well, it amounts to this, Miss Smith : that when you complained to the officer at the post-office he very properly did not give any information about who the holder of box 912 was, but recommended you to send the envelope back to that box, which you did?— Yes. 26. Where did you post the envelope containing this envelope?—Wynyard Road collection-box. 27. Is that a pillar box?— Yes. Miss Nellie Smith examined. 1. Mr. Ostler.] Your full name, Miss Smith? —Nellie Smith. 2. You are a sister of the last witness ?—Yes. 3. And the daughter of the witness before last? —Yes. 4. Were you present when your father received this empty envelope?—-I received the envelope on Tuesday morning, the 3rd July. 5. Was the flap in or out when you received it? —Out. 6. Did you or did you not go with your sister when she went down to inquire about it on the following Thursday?—l did not go. 7. Were you present when she posted that envelope back?— Yes, I was with her. 8. Is her evidence correct on that point?— Quite correct. Mr. Gray: No questions. Henry Sydney Bilby re-examined. 1. Mr. Ostler.] I understand that complaints were made to you about some of these letters being received empty? —Yes. 2. In consequence of those complaints did you see any official of the Post Office at all?— No. 3. Not even a postman?— No. 4. Did you have a conversation with a postman about it? —I do not quite get what you are inquiring about. 5. Did you have any talk with any postman when you heard the complaints of letters beingreceived empty?—l met a postman in Karangahape Road, and asked whether he had any letters for me—l met him on the way going to town —and he said, " Yes." I said, by way of a joke, " I suppose it is not empty? " and he said, " No, I don't think so." 1 said, "By the way, did you deliver any of those empty envelopes? " He said, " Yes, I had some on my round." I said, " Whom did you deliver them to? " He said, "It is not advisable to say anything about it." 6. Were you by yourself at the time?— Yes. 7. Can you tell us about the date you had that conversation? —About three days after the meeting. 8. After Mr. Elliott had made the charges at the meeting?— That is so. 9. We have just heard from Miss Lavinia Smith that she posted a letter addressed to box 912, containing one of these empty envelopes and a notice that it was received without any contents. Did you ever get that letter ?—No. 10. You never got it? —No. 11. Do you remember posting a letter to Mr. David Goldie, Pitt Street?— Yes. 12. On what date did you post that?—lt. was posted the same night as the ministers' platform notices. 13. What did that letter contain? —It contained platform tickets for the meeting. 14. You arc quite sure you posted that letter?—l am certain about it. 15. Did you post a, letter to Mr. G. Henderson, Bank of Australasia, Queen Street, City?— 1 could not say that I posted one. If it was on the list handed to me. I did not keep a number; there were odd lists handed in. 1.6. You have the lists handed in ?—The rough lists, yes. His Worship: Is that list handed in, Mr. Ostler, made up from the rough lists? Mr. Ostler: These are the rough lists. Mr. Gray: How is this gentleman able to say that he posted a letter to any particular person on the list ? His Worship: Is that list compiled from those rough lists? Mr. Gray: I think your Worship is referring to a list put in this morning. Mr. Ostler: Perhaps your Worship will get that information from Mr. Bilby, where he got that list from, because he gave me that list and I gave it to my friend. Mr. Elliott checked the ministers from Brett's Almanac to enable a notice to be sent to them. 17. Mr. Ostler.] My friend has said, how could you tell you posted a letter to every person whose name is on your list? As a matter of fact, did you post a letter to every person whose name is on the list? —Yes; the lists were checked as we went through. 18. Mr. Gray.] By whom? —By those who were addressing. As they were addressing the envelopes they checked the name so as not to duplicate. 19. Mr. Ostler.] Take that list: what do those marks signify?— That letters have been sent to those people. Mr. Gray: Yes, addressed perhaps. 20. Mr. Ostler.] That was carried right through. Here is one taken at random. Every tick represents the checking of an envelope being addressed to those persons?— Yes. 21. Can you tell me without reference to your lists whether you addressed a letter to Mr. G. Henderson, Bank of Australasia, Queen Street, City?—No, I cannot. 22. Well, look at that : whose handwriting is that? —My wife's. 23. Looking at that letter, is that one of the letters sent out by you?— That is one sent out.