29

I.—7a

116. From 62 to 54—there seems to be alienated lands there also ?-— The plan is on a small scale and does not show the alienated land clearly. 117. Referring to the flat land and land that has been really useful for settlement, how long has that been taken up, generally speaking ?— Well, some portions have been taken up from fifteen to twenty years. 118. Has the land that has been reserved been open for selection for settlement ?—I believe that part of it has been open for selection. 119. How do you account that it has not been taken up, during all these years ?—I hold the time has not yet come when the coast will be taken up for settlement. A great deal of it will become valuable in time for grass-ground, especially on the slopes. 120. How many years do you reckon that will be ?—Of course a considerable time may elapse. 121. Had that land been applied for, would sale have been refused on account of its auriferous nature? —A great deal would have been refused sale under the regulations, which may account for it not having been sold. 122. At all events, this is mostly mountainous land, the flat being taken up as freehold lands ?—■ I do not think it takes up all the flat lands. 123. Well, now, we will take a case in point. You know Kumara goldfields? —Yes. 124. That was flat country?— Yes. 125. I understand from you that all the gullies have been worked, and that there might be a little gold on each side of the creek?—l hold that Kumara is one of the old river-beds that I referred to, and I also said that it is impossible to tell where they are. 126. Has the Kumara goldfield been one of the best on the Coast?— Yes, it has been the best on the Coast. 127. Did any one apply to purchase that?—l am not quite clear. I fancy that under the Waste Lands Act at that time that offers could have been made for it. It would have been advertised, and withdrawn from sale if any miner objected. 128. Do you know that such an application was made to purchase it ? —No. 129.' Are you aware that the township was subject to special legislation ?—Yes, I am aware of that. 130. You state a quarter of that reserved would be sufficient ?—Yes. 131. You say a quarter is mountainous and would be of no service for settlement?— Well, one way and another, it is very poor indeed. 132. On that head your evidence shows that half the amount reserved is not required for mining purposes ? —Yes. 133. You said the way it should be reserved is by taking a narrow strip along the creeks ?—Yes. 134. Take Block 53 : you would take a narrow strip along this lead, would you not?— Yes. 135. Then your answer in that case would be, you would take the country along the line of the lead and not along the line of the creeks ? —Certainly; I do not say it is taken wrongfully, but I say that too much is taken. 136. Here is a water-race, constructed at a cost of about £100,000. Would that race command the ground at Callaghan's and the whole strip of country down here?— Yes, the race will command that country; I made a survey of it years ago. 137. That race commands the whole country to No Town. Would it be wise to go and sell this ground here which this race would command?—No, not in that particular locality. I would be in favour of reserving the land in that locality. Of course it would be useless to reserve it unless the race were made. From this downwards it would be all commanded by that water. 138. If you sold the land here, would you not hamper mining on account of the tailings ?—Yes ; we have a case in point at Nelson Creek. 139. What would be the cost to survey off these creeks ?—That depends on how it was done. It could be done cheaply concurrent with section-survey; by employing a posse of surveyors to survey the creeks alone it would be costly. 140. How much per acre?—l should say about 2s. 141. Then, in all probability, immediately they had completed this survey, it would be found they had left a second Kumara outside it ?—Yes, probably. 142. I think you have said original miners are working for lower wages than usual ?—Yes, I know a case where they work for £1 10s. a week. 143. In reference to those old shafts?— Yes; how about those which we have put down ourselves ? 144. There are very few. How many acres would they cover, and what is the number of these shafts ? —They cover a considerable stretch of country; they extend from Okarito up to the big Grey. 145. How many shafts ? —I suppose twenty or thirty shafts that I have assisted in sinking. 146. How many miles of country would these twenty or thirty shafts cover?— They would cover about 120 miles, I suppose. 147. Do you think twenty or thirty shafts are sufficient to cover that area? —That is only the number assisted by myself; there are many others. 148.' I mean all the shafts ? —I could count them myself by the hundred. 149. I want the result —those you put down yourself ? —Well, I think at Hokitika alone, at a survey I made there, I noticed a great many. I could find out the exact number from my fieldbook. Of my own personal knowledge I assisted in sinking about twenty, although I know from the inference of abandonment hundreds of shafts have been duffers. I have seen fully a thousand that have been sunk and left. 150. Would you consider a thousand shafts a fair prospect? —They give a very good indication. 151. In your evidence just now you said that between shafts 100 ft. apart there might be gold? —There is always the contingency of a lead being struck—you can never tell.