Testimonies

Testimonies

• 675.

  Is Woolnough a voter ? – Yes.

• 676.

  Who got the 5L., Mr. Woolnough ? – No, the assistant clerk.

• 677.

  What was he doing ? – He was assisting in directing circulars,

• 678.

  Now, in your judgment, did you really require two clerks ? – Yes, I think so.

• 679.

  Then messengers, personation clerks, and so on, 35L. ? – You have a list of that I think ; that was handed in to the agent for election expenses. There was a personation clerk to each booth.

• 680.

  There were two booths ? – Yes.

• 681.

  And therefore that would be two clerks ? – Yes.

• 682.

  (Mr. Turner.) That was upon the polling day ? – Yes.

• 683.

  (Mr. Holl.) How much did they get ? – 1L. 1s. each. You will find it all set out what each of them had. They were to get the names of the voters when they came away from polling and to communicate it to the committee room.

• 684.

  Then Walter Simmonds, 2 guineas; James Gray, 6L. ; Nazer, 4L. Who was Nazer ? – Nazer was an attendant upon the committee room during the whole of the election, and I think he also delivered bills. Gray was an attendant messenger also.

• 685.

  Nazer and Gray are both voters ? – Yes, both voters.

• 686.

  Then we have Walter Simmonds and W. C. Simmonds; one gets one guinea and the other two guineas ; what were they ? – They were doing work in the committee room at the time of the election.

• 687.

  As messengers ? – Yes, and writers too, I think.

• 688.

  What day would these people be employed as messengers ? There are 27 of them I see ? – The greater portion of them no doubt were only employed upon the day of the election, but the others were in constant attendance.

• 689.

  Why should you want 20 messengers at 10s. 6d. each on the day of the election ? – They were being sent in various directions. I cannot say that they were all required, and we could have done with a less number no doubt.

• 690.

  Are these all voters ? – No, very few of them.

• 691.

  I should like you to tick on the list making up the 852., with a cross, those who are voters ? – I will do so ; I can get a list of them from Woodruff, the committee clerk.

• 692.

  Then Coleman, 40L. expenses ; is that the 40L. you mentioned to us ? – Yes, and for which you have his receipt.

• 693.

  That is the 40L. which was partly expended in paying the accounts at the public-houses and partly in rosettes ? – Yes.

• 694.

  Now with regard to the item of 48L 17s. 3d., personal expenses at the “Bell” hotel ; of what does that consist ? – It consists of three bills, I think ; nearly the whole of that was incurred upon the day of the election ; one bill you will find was supplying refreshments to the committee room belonging to Mrs. Hunter daring the day of the election ; it was necessary to supply the staff with some refreshments.

• 695.

  But still 50L. is a large sum ? – There are three bills you will find. One bill is for the entertainment which Sir Julian Goldsmid had upon the day of the election, and another bill was for a dinner we had – a number of us belonging to the staff in the adjoining room. It is not correct to put it, perhaps, as personal expenses, because they were not, perhaps, all personal expenses.

• 696.

  I will ask you at the same time to tick the WATCHERS who are voters. You said, I believe, that they were nearly all voters ? – No, they were not all voters.

• 697.

  One bill is 11L 6s. 4d. ; as far as you know, was any of that refreshment supplied to voters ? – No, not in the way of treating, or anything of that sort. You will find the largest bill is a bill for a dinner that we had.

• 698.

  Refreshment to staff and messengers from the 7th to the 18th, 32L 12s. 5d. Is that for refreshments supplied to the committee room ? – Yes.

• 699.

  Did they begin to have refreshments supplied before Sir Julian Goldsmid came down ? – I think very likely we did.

• 700.

  How many were there having refreshments ? – There might be seven or eight sometimes.

• 701.

  It is at the rate of three guineas a day every day from the 7th to the 18th ; do you think anybody went to have refreshments except the staff ? – No doubt the bills should be subject to taxation, but they are not – they are made out, and we pay them.

• 702.

  Were all these refreshments consumed by the staff ? – Yes.

• 703.

  No refreshments given to the voters ? – No, nothing in the way of treating voters whatever.

• 704.

  (Mr. Turner.) Is Filmer a voter ? – Yes.