Page image
Page image

C—2

23

473. Was anybody present at the interview between you and Mr. Scott?—No, not in the same room. The door was half open, and Mr. Henderson was in the next room. 474. You saw Mr. Scott in your own room ; Mr. Henderson was in the adjoining room, only separated from yours by a glass partition, and the door was open between the two. Now, tell us, as briefly as you can, what took place —how the conversation commenced, and how it progressed ?—I told him all the reasons which induced me to suggest to Mr. Henderson to send for him—the reasons which caused him to be there. 475. Tell us what you told him?— That the company had this stock upon this particular run— No. 93a. 476. When was this ?—On the 27th February. That the stock had been running there for some time, when the limits and boundaries of the run were very much smaller than they were now ; that we had had some 21,000 acres, but the boundaries had been increased to the tops of the mountains, including an area of 126,000 acres. 477. His Honour.'] What were the old boundaries ? —About 21,000 acres. They were low down, comparatively a short distance back from the rivers and from the lake. 478. Now that the boundaries have been extended to the tops of the mountains, it comprises how many acres ?—About 124,000 acres. I also pointed out to him, if my recollection serves aright, that about seventy odd thousand acres were marked by the Government "barren and useless," and that, in consequence, I could not on any consideration bid for the run in the name of the National Mortgage Company; that the responsibilities for rabbiting were so great as to make this impossible. 479. Mr. Haggitt.] Anything more ?—I went on to explain that it was very desirable that we should have some time in order to muster the sheep and sell the stock ; that a few months—certainly within six months—would suffice for this; and I told him that if he bought we should pay the first half-year's rent, and whatever fee he might think would meet the case in addition. I warned him more than once that the responsibility might be considerable ; that the Government would probably insist upon his continuing to pay the rent, or might insist upon his continuing to pay the rent, and also pay them all the rabbiting; and I expected that, at any rate in another year, this might be a serious item. He treated the whole matter very lightly, laughed a good deal at the whole thing as I explained it, and said that the Government could get nothing out of him, as he had nothing. I said, " Have you not been doing better lately ?" and he admitted he had, but that he had no assets —no properties. I finished by warning him again, and telling him that if he had any scruples at all to say so, and I should drop the subject at once. I think that is the gist of what passed between us. 480. Was anything said about any remuneration to Mr. Scott for what he was to do ? —Only in that passing way. I said we would pay the first half-year's rent, and anything he might consider fair for his part in the matter. 481. No specific sum was mentioned ? —Not to him. 482. Throughout the whole interview, then —you have told us all that occurred—there was never a word said about the company indemnifying Scott against the consequences ?—No. 483. He never asked for such a thing, and you led him clearly to understand, apparently, that he was not to expect it?— Yes. 484. And you intended, by what you have told us, to make it clear to him? Sir Stout: Surely! His Honour: We have what was said. You cannot take it further. 485. Mr. Haggitt.] Was anything said then about his buying as an agent for the company ? —No ; nothing more than I have said now. 486. Did you understand at all that he was buying as an agent for the company. Was that your object at all ?—Certainly not. 487. Sir B. Stout: Who was he buying for? 488. Mr. Haggitt.] Buying on his own account, at the request of the company. (To witness :) You have mentioned that a good deal was added to this run between the time you first held it and the time of the sale. Does that [plan produced] give an idea of the additions ?—Yes; that in the red is approximately what we were using and what we were responsible for previously to the extension of the boundaries. 489. His Honour.] When were the boundaries extended?— About the same time in the previous year —about January, 1890, when the old lease terminated. 490. You got a temporary extension for a year?—lt was put up for sale about January or February, 1890, and it failed to elicit a bid. Thereupon I communicated with the Government, and said that if they liked to allow me to go on with a limited responsibility as to rabbiting and the old rent, I did not object to take it for another year. 491. Yes. I see the old lease was about 21,000 acres ? —Yes; that was up to January, 1890. 492. Mr. Haggitt.] What was the rent under the old lease ?—I think, £150, but lam not sure. I cannot remember at present. 493. Practically there were about 74,000 acres of useless country added to the run which involved an expenditure for rabbiting the country, without getting any advantage ? —That would be so. 494. His Honour.] Your arrangement with the Government was to take the enlarged run ?— No, your Honour ; the old boundaries. 495. With the right to run over the whole? —There was nobody to stop our right. We had no bargain for it. 496. Sir B. Stout.] Used the land, practically, without rabbiting ?—Well, I do not think the sheep go on any part of it, as far as I know. 497. Mr. Haggitt.] It was absolutely valueless land beyond the boundary of the old run ? —ln my opinion, worse than valueless; it entailed a large responsibility.

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert