Minter, William Robert | Day 6

Witness Type: Briber, Publican, Beerhouse Keeper

Party: Liberal

Witness Testimony:

  • 5978.

    Was the whole front of his house covered with BILLS ? — No, he has a garden wall, which adjoins the high road.

  • 5979.

    (Mr. Holl.) There were only one or two BILLS at a time ? — That is it. We put a blue border at the top of the wall and at the bottom.

  • 5980.

    And you allowed him 4s. or 5s. a day for putting those BILLS up on his wall ? — Yes.

  • 5981.

    Then colour men, for attending to FLAGS ; what is that, these are not the watchmen ? — No, some of the FLAGS were taken down of a night and put up of a morning.

  • 5982.

    Then this 15s. each to these three men is for taking the FLAGS down at night and putting them up in the morning again ? — Yes.

  • 5983.

    How long would that take each time ? — They were scattered about all over the village. I cannot say how long it would take.

  • 5984.

    There are three men. It does not take more than one man to take down a flag ? — They did not all go at one time.

  • 5985.

    Does one man attend to all the FLAGS each day ? Yes.

  • 5986.

    Was this 5s. a day for each man ? — They had 15s. each for the time, and they divided it among themselves.

  • 5987.

    You had only one man at a time ? — Only one man at a time.

  • 5988.

    Three days each ? — I do not know how they done it.

  • 5989.

    How many days were they employed altogether ? —The first FLAGSTAFF might have been up, perhaps, about nine days, and then we kept adding to them right up to the day of the election.

  • 5990.

    here were some FLAGSTAFFS up before Sir Julian came down ? — No, not in Upper Walmer until after he came.

  • 5991.

    I understand that this is nothing more than putting a flag up in the morning and taking it down at night ? — Yes.

  • 5992.

    Leaving the POLES where they were, of course ? — The POLES were looked after by the watchmen.

  • 5993.

    (Mr. Jeune.) Labour was divided as much as possible ? — As equally as I could manage it.

  • 5994.

    You cut it up into as many small portions as you could ? — I made a great division.

  • 5995.

    Mr. Holl) How much did you pay these men a day ; was it 5s. or 7s. 6d. ? — That is all they received for the whole time.

  • 5996.

    But how much by the day ? — You did not call it by the day, you called it a job ; a contract price for the lot.

  • 5997.

    It is about 6s. or 7s. a day to each man, is it not ? — Oh no, it is only 15s. for the whole time.

  • 5998.

    But it is 15s. to three different men ? — You mean for the lot ?

  • 5999.

    Yes ? — That would be about it

  • 6000.

    I suppose you purposely split up this important business into three sections, so that they could have 15s. each ? — It was done for them to all have a little feeling out of it.

  • 6001.

    Then there is, COMMITTEE ROOM 5L. What is that for ? — That is a COMMITTEE ROOM for Upper Walmer ; that is at the top of the village nearly ; mine is at the bottom.

  • 6002.

    Was it actually used ? — They were both used.

  • 6003.

    How often was this room of Henry Martin’s used ? — Pretty often he told me. I was not always there.

  • 6004.

    Was it used for anything else except having a little to drink ? — Yes.

  • 6005.

    What for ? — There was a messenger despatched now and then to and fro from there, and there was a little pen and ink kept for sundry purposes.

  • 6006.

    (Mr. Jeune.) Where did these messengers go from ? — They came from Deal to the Lower Walmer COMMITTEE ROOM, from the Lower Walmer COMMITTEE ROOM to my place, and then from my place to the “Cinque Port Volunteer.”

  • 6007.

    (Mr. Turner.) Was anybody ever in your place ? —Yes.