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60

601. In Block 79 you have allowed another reserve —partly made?— Yes. 602. Is there anything in the formation of that country which would afford a reason for saying that that part hatched should be reserved for gold-mining purposes ?—No. The ground, is practically at a high elevation, with no water to command; and the ground has been thoroughly prospected. I came across numerous shafts and tunnels, but there are no miners working upon it —on the hatched portion. 603. Did you go over from No Town to Frankpit store? —Yes. It is a high terrace. You rise to about 500 ft., and then it is fiat. 604. Do you know if there is any alluvial wash on the top of that hill?— No. 605. Therefore, if water was brought to it, there would be nothing to wash away?— No. Of course, you would have the timber and the soil. 606. "We will leave these blocks now, and go on to No. 77, known as the Eed Jack district. Did you make any inspection of Block 77 ?—Yes. 607. On the-north bank of No Town Creek you had reserved a little strip on the eastern side— the south-eastern part of Block 77 ? —Yes. 608. Why did you reserve it there ? —Evidently No Town Creek took a bend in that direction, and left a deposit of gold, and that is being worked now. At this end of the block two Chinamen are working—sluicing, I think—and above that there are seven or eight men. 609. And on the western side ?—The Chinamen are working that still, following down the creeks in the No Town country. 610. What is the nature of the country there ?—lt is very flat country; there are no means of draining it without bringing up a tunnel from the Grey Eiver. 611. That is in the flat country?— Yes. 612. That is for the low flat country ?—Yes. 613. Behind that flat country, going north from it, what sort of ground did you meet there ? — Hills rise between the No Town Creek and the country beyond Connor's Creek. 614. Did you find any gold or traces of gold-working there?—l found six men working there in .Connor's Creek. I made an inspection of the workings. The men working there were making 6s. to Bs. a week. Two of them have since left. 615. The next Creek is Deadman's. Did you find any working between Connor's and Deadman's ?—No. 616. At Deadman's ?—Well, at the creek there is a portion unhatched of the workings, and I found at that portion, I think, there were four Chinamen and six Europeans engaged there. 617. What distance did you allow from Deadman's Creek to the junction of the forest? —Well, we think 1 chain on the bank of the creek is sufficient to take in all the workings; but I think the hatched portion shows 4 chains. 618. What do you say is sufficient in Connor's Creek?— Well, the reservation left there was 10 chains in width, as shown in the plan; but, as a matter of fact, the creek is not required at all. It should be struck out. I feel certain there is no gold there to pay. 618 a. Between Deadman's and Eed Jack's ? —There are no workings whatever until you come to Eed Jack's Creek itself. 619. Where did you see the evidence of old or present workings there ?—ln Wyndham Creek; there has been a little there. There is nobody there at the present time. There was a small line of gold which ran out years ago. It has been thoroughly prospected. I saw the shafts and the workings, and saw Algie, who worked there himself, and he failed to discover gold of any kind. Now, we come up the Kangaroo. 619 a. Hon. E. Blake.] There is a reserve at Eed Jack's?— The lower portion of Eed Jack's is all freehold or leasehold land, and there are no workings of any kind. The land was sold fifteen or sixteen years ago, and has never been required for mining purposes. 620. Mr. Cooper.] Do you find any traces of workings before you get to the eastern boundary of Block 77? Are there any Chinamen in Kangaroo Creek? —One Chinaman is prospecting there. He might go, up and down, a mile in the day. 621. In Kangaroo Creek, were there any traces of workings there ?—Not in this block. 622. And the reserved portion, between the hatched part of Kangaroo and Nelson Creeks?— There are no workings of any kind in the hatched portion, so far as gold is concerned. 623. Are there any rights —dams, water-races, residence sites, &c. —in the hatched portions of the block ?—There is one race at Ngahere. It is a water-race from Wyndham Creek, brought in for the purpose of driving a sawmill. It is half a mile long, and only lft. or lft. 6in. in width. 624. With that exception, this block contained no mining privileges ?—Except those in the hatched portion. 625. Now, as to Block 79. You say there, at the northern portion of it, there is a strip on the north side of Kangaroo Creek, on the left-hand branch: what of that?—lt is 2,400 acres, in which no gold has ever been found, and in which no rights of any kind exist. No men are working there. It is fairly level timber land. There are several tracks across it, in two or more directions. 626. Did you cross at more than one or two places ?—Yes, in more than two places. 627. This piece of 600 acres : are there any workings on that ?—No. I think there was evidence of workings here—two small creeks, blind gullies, about the north-east point of that hatched portion of the 460 acres. There are two gullies that had been fossicked out. A little gold has been taken away. 628. Are there any mining privileges?— None that I know of. 629. And between the left-hand branch and the right-hand branch of the Kangaroo ?—lt is not hatched here, but there are no workings. I do not know the country myself, but I went up both branches, and had there been any workings 1 should certainly have seen them. No person, certainly, has put tailings into the left-hand branch, I saw the men working in the righthand branch.