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Q.--Did Mr. Carvalho give you any reason for submitting it? Did he suggest any change?
A.-I cannot remember that he did so.
Q.-Did he say anything to you? Did he ask you to change it, or did he merely submit this order and ask you whether it was to be acted on? Because we understood Mr. Carvalho to say that he disapproved of it and we thought perhaps that he might have submitted the question to you?
A.--I think it exceedingly unlikely. I cannot absolutely say what the conversa- tion was.
I consider it practically impossible that he should have said so to me because I was practically in his hands and I should certainly not have opposed him without good reason.
Q.--I see you have noted in the margin "System inaugurated by Mr. Lister to be continued for the present "
A. Yes.
Q.-That does not bring anything to your memory?
A.—No, it does not recall anything very clear. That was on January 3rd and I entered the Treasury on the 1st.
Q.-Ilave you made any change since about the signing of receipts?
A.—At present I am signing practically everything in the Department.
Q. Do you propose that that should continue?
A.—Yes, I think if possible. It is only a question of convenience to the public. I think it preferable that it should be continued if it can but it seems to me to be necessary that the chief clerk should also have the power of signing in the absence of the Treasurer. I am up at the Legislative Council for two hours sometimes and receipts would be kept waiting, which leads to dissatisfaction.
Mr. Thurburn, --In any case it would be a different man who signed to the one who makes out the receipt. You would alter that system?
A.--The receipt now passes through a number of hands before reaching me. In addition to the shroff the clerk in charge initials the receipt and then they come to me to sign. The cashier would be the only man to whom my powers would be deputed.
Q.-Originally it was Alves who made out the receipt and the chief clerk signed it. That was altered by Mr. Lister, and now you have gone back to the old system?
A.— Practically, yes.
The Chairman.—You took over the charge of the Treasury on January 1st, 1891 ?
A.-Yes.
Q. Did you look at the book of 1890 to see whether it had been balanced? A.—No, I cannot remember looking at the previous books.
Q.-Did Mr. Nicolle ever ask you to have the Rent Roll for 1890 balanced ? A. Yes, he did.
Q-Can you tell us about what time?
A.-No, I cannot. I have not any idea but I am satisfied that he did ask me sometime, I think, in 1891.
Q. What did you do in consequence of that request?
A.-I told Alves that his book was required to be balanced, and he pleaded stress of work.
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