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1483. Do you know well any of the holdings of lessees under confirmed leases of the West Coast settlement reserves ? —I know them well down about the Waitotara. 1484. Will you give me the names of the reserves that you know well ?—I know the Ihupuku : that is occupied by Messrs. Durie. 1485. Do you know the number of the confirmed lease ?—No. 45. 1486. Are Messrs. Durie owners of it ? —lt is in the name of Mr. Hutchison, I believe. 1487. What are the names of other reserves you know well?—A place called the Umuroa, occupied by Mr. Verry. 1488. What number is that ?—No. 38. 1489. Any others ? —I also know one called Kaihu. 1490. Leased to whom?—To Mr. T. H. Nicholson. 1491. What is the number of the lease?— No. 39. 1492. Any other ?—I also know the properties occupied by Wilson and Frere. They comprise three sections —three distinct grants. 1493. Are there three leases?— Yes. 1494. What are the numbers of them ?—Nos. 18, 19, and 20. 1495. Take Ihupuku : do you know what improvements there are there now?—lmprovements that are existing there ? 1496. Yes, that are now existing?— There is a house upon it. 1497. Do you know what improvements there are on it ? —I know there are improvements on it. 1498. Which of the improvements on it have been put there during the last six years?— There has been a boundary-fence erected between Mrs. Durie's property and this reserve. 1499. Between this reserve and another property belonging to Mrs. Durie ?—Yes. 1500. When was that done ?—Between two and three years back. 1501. Anything else?— There has been a piece of fencing done from the lower corner, fencing off part of the river. 1502. How long ago was that fence erected?— About five years back, I should think. 1503. Anything else ?—There has been a bit of ploughing done on the same flat. 1504. When was that done?— About the same time. 1505. Did they plough it and take crops, or did they plough it and sow it with grass?— Some portions north of the railway-line have been ploughed and crops taken out of them; and the piece below this is sown down in grass. 1506. Is the latter part of a large extent ?—lt might comprise 100 acres possibly. 1507. And the part cropped—how large would that be? —About 17 or 18 acres possibly, or 18 or 20. 1508. Has any building been put up within the last six years ? —Not that I am aware of. 1509. Or any other improvements you know of at all during the last six years?— No. 1510. Take Umuroa : what improvements have been made there within the last six years?— There has been a bit of bushfalling—some 30 or 40 acres, I should say. 1511. When was that done?— About four years back. 1512. Before or after 1887 ?—I should say before, or just about that time, possibly—about that season. 1513. Anything else ?—There has been some fencing done there during the last two or three years. I should say, possibly, a mile and a half of it. 1514. Done when?— About two years ago. 1515. Before or after the arbitration ?—I should think it was just about at the finish of the Arbitration Court. It was in hand about that time. 1516. Any other improvements on Umuroa during the last six years?—No, not that you could call improvements. 1517. What improvements have been made at Kaihu—Nicholson's—during the last six years ? —There has been, I should say, about 60 or 70 acres of bush knocked down on that. 1518. When was that ?—ln 1886 or 1887—two seasons. 1519. Anything else ?—And a good deal of fencing was done—possibly a mile and a half—on the road-line. 1520. When was that ?—That would be about the time of the Arbitration Court sitting also. 1521. About a mile and a half? —Yes, about 120 chains. 1522. Was this fence along the road-line?— Yes. 1523. Does the road-line run through the property ?—The road-line runs through the property. 1524. It was fenced on both sides of the road ?—Yes, it is now. 1525. Do you know why they fenced that road?— Because they got notice from the Road Board to remove the gates they had hanging on their boundary-fences. 1526. I understand they had to fence the road-line at that time ? —Yes, of course, or the stock would stray. 1527. Do you know what other improvements have been made recently ?—There is a new fence erected between there (Verry's) and Nicholson's boundary. The original fence, put up a few years back, was not in the proper place, and they have put up one on the proper line. 1528. When was that done ?—I should say since the sitting of the Arbitration Court. 1529. Are there any other improvements on Kaihu, put up within the last six years, besides what you have given me ?—No, not that I am aware of. 1530. Take Wilson and Frere's: what improvements have been made there during the last six years ? —On sections Nos. 417 and 418, confirmed leases 18 and 19, there is very little done in the last five or six years. 1531. Do you know of any improvements at all made there ?—Not that you could call permanent improvements,