Foord, John Ross | Day 18

Eldest brother of Thomas Hellyer Foord of Rochester. Detailed family history can be found on Medway Memories. Paid expenses for Julian Goldsmid through his family firm John Foord & Sons. He had known Julian Goldsmid for 10 years during which time Sir Julian had been the MP for Rochester. Testified that many of the expenses paid out on Sir Julian’s behalf related to the Rochester Election.

Witness Type: Other

Party: Liberal

Witness Testimony:

  • 19223.

    I suppose never before had you had so much due from him as £1500, or anything like it ? — No, certainly not so much.

  • 19224.

    The sum which you mentioned upon May 4th, I suppose, had something to do with the Rochester election ? — No, it was not to do with the Rochester election; it was on account of a lot of expenses. The account began in July 1879, and it was not on account of the Rochester election.

  • 19225.

    That £1000 was paid generally on account ? — Yes.

  • 19226.

    You tell me there would be no difficulty in your presenting a cheque upon the London Joint Stock at the London and County bank at Rochester, and so getting the money in that way without your brother going up to London ? — There would not be the slightest difficulty.

  • 19227.

    Why did you not do it ? —Because I did not do it, and did not think of doing it at the time; and another thing is, it was in my mind the moment the money was asked for that the proper thing to do would be that my brother should go up to London and get it. Knowing the state of the banking account I thought that was the proper way to do it, and I did not think of anything else.

  • 19228.

    If you had drawn a cheque upon the London Joint Stock and presented it at the London and County at Rochester, that would not have affected the banking account at all ? — No, you are quite right there, but we determined to do it, and, of course, when we determine to do a thing, we generally do it.

  • 19229.

    (Mr. Turner.) Why should your brother go to London for the money when he could have taken the cheque to the London and County without diminishing the balance ? — It occurred to me immediately the money was wanted that the proper way was for my brother to go to London and get it from the London and Joint Stock, and, having determined to do it, I carried it out. I admit that occasionally, if we want to back up the account at the London and County at Rochester, we have sometimes drawn a cheque on the London Joint Stock, and have paid it in. But very rarely we do that, and it did not occur to me at the time. As I have said before, when the money was asked, knowing the state of the account, it occurred to me that the proper way was for my brother to go up to London, and having so determined, it was done.

  • 19230.

    It might have been done without going to London ? — Yes, I quite admit that, as I have admitted it before.

  • 19231.

    Did you ever before, on any single occasion, send anyone up to London when you wanted money from the London Joint Stock Bank, and bring it down ? — Yes, for wages. I have myself gone up and brought down money in the same sort of way.

  • 19232.

    When did you last do that ? — I went up and fetched, it turns out, £500 upon the 20th May.

  • 19233.

    In the same year ? — Yes. I went up once myself, and fetched that £500 for wages.

  • 19234.

    Did you go up on purpose ? — No, I rarely go up on purpose. I daresay I had other business to do but we think nothing, as you know, of running up by train to London, taking about an hour. If we have got anything to do, and make up our mind to do it we do not stand nice about going up by the train.