to.—4

52

335. You say it is an indication to you that no care has been shown in the way the reserves were made?— None. Mr. Gully: You are suggesting that, and putting words into the witness's mouth. 336. Mr. Cooper.] I see you included in the portion that you suggest should be reserved a place called Brown's Terrace. Does that portion include the position of the ground applied for some time since by some miners?—We allow all that portion of the reserve. 337. Which includes the portion which has been recently taken up? —Yes; the limestone formation runs along to the east of Brown's Terrace. 338. Coming to Block 3, Mr. Fenton, there are 10,000 acres in that block, and 4,500 are hatched ?—Yes. 339. Can you say whether there was any necessity to include that 4,500 acres in the reserve ?—■ No necessity. No payable gold has been discovered on it. There are no miners at work on it. 340. Do you think there is any probability of any payable gold being discovered on that portion?—l do not think so. 341. You say that from your knowledge of the country ? —Yes. 342. Now, as to the balance of that, block: I see you run a straight line through there. Is there any reason for cutting it off in that way?—At Piper's Mat there is a cement formation, and there is cement from there north again. 343. Does that formation that you speak about extend beyond that right line drawn down here ? —lt does not extend to the west of that line. 344. And that is the reason you have drawn the line in that way ? —Yes. 345. Does that portion contain workings ? —Yes. 346. Can you say about how many men are working there, on that portion of Block 3 ? —I could not say exactly how many men are working there at present. I did not take the number when I was there, as I did not think it was required. 347. Coming to Block 2, there is, again, some 6,000 acres of the western portion hatched, near these freehold sections. What do you say about that?—No payable gold has been discovered there". There is no one working; there are no dams nor mining rights of any kind, and so I do not think it would be required, for mining purposes. At Addison's Plat at one time there were a thousand men working, and if there was any gold it would have been likely to have been found. 348. Hon. B. Blake. J Where is Addison's Flat ? —lt is near the Venture Company. 349. Mr. Cooper.] What is the nature of that portion that is hatched ? —Along the allotments by the sea, such as Nos. 8, 11, 12, 13, and 14, there is limestone country running through from Cape Foulwind. They have taken stone from the quarries there for the breakwater at Westport. 350. Would there have been any difficulty if care had been shown in making reserves in the manner you have suggested? —No. 351. Then, coming to Block I—the one along the beach, still at the right-hand corner of the plan : what have you to say about that block ? —There has been no payable gold found upon it. 352. On the whole block ? —On the whole block. 353. You consider the whole of that block has been improperly reserved ?—lt is covered with leaseholds and freeholds and other kinds of allotments. 354. You consider the whole of that block should not be reserved ? —Yes. 355. I see there is a portion marked "prospecting tunnel." Can you give us any information about that ? —Yes ; I went and saw 7 the men working upon it, and there was no payable gold discovered in it, although they drove hundreds of feet. They had driven 1,500 ft. when I was there, and they were still working. They were getting a subsidy. 356. Hon. E. Blake.] From the Government ?—From the Government; and I think some of the Westport storekeepers were assisting them. Mr. Cooper: I want to speak actually about what you know. 356 a. Hon. E. Blake.] When was that?—lt was on the 11th May. In fact, I have been over this ground hundreds of times. 357. Mr. Cooper.] You are quite familiar with it, then ?—Yes. 358. What is the nature of the ground in that Block 1 ? —Timber-land along the beach, and open pakihis inland. 359. Hon. E. Blake.] I suppose Westport is the town of this place ?—Yes. The WestportNgakawau Eailway runs right through the centre of this block. 360. Mr. Cooper.] There are men working along the beach there ?—Yes ; washing the blacksand outside the block. 361. Now we come to the Cobden map. [Map of Cobden, Exhibit 97, put in.] From Greymouth to Point Elizabeth, I see, there are 2,000 acres *in that block. You say 2,700 acres improperly reserved—the hatched portion ?—Yes. 362. That is the land immediately above Greymouth, along the beach ?—Yes. 363. Can you give us, shortly, your reasons for saying that the portion hatched should not have been included in the reserve ? —lt is all limestone country. There are no miners working there, and no payable gold has been found, nor is any likely to be found. The portion along the beach, say, 10 chains wide, has been an old sea-beach, containing black sand and wash, and there are about seventeen miners beachcombing along it. On that account I allowed it, as having been properly reserved. 364. Going up that beach you find there is a square portion—Spence's claim?—ln that portion there is a high terrace, on which Spence has got a claim ; and, to protect his rights, I allowed more to be reserved. 365. Hon. E. Blake.] Is there any more land of similar appearance?— The sea evidently deposited wash there, but it is not the same as that all along the other portion.