C—l 4.

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5. What is the state of this land that is absolutely destroyed? —It is from 1 ft. to 10ft. thick in tailings. 6. How long have you been in occupation?— About thirty-four years. 7. Previous to the silt trouble, could you farm the whole of your land ? Yes. 8. Was there feed on the banks of the river/ — Yes, particularly in the winter-time, 0. Is there any feed now on the banks of the river?—No; 10 ft. or 12 ft. of tailings instead. 10. Have you had to remove your fences? —Yes, three or four times. 1 shall have to remove them again, I expect. 11. The Chairman.] Does witness's property just go to the river, or to the centre of it?—To the centre of the river. 12. Mr. Mueller.] Can you put down your loss per annum? —Previous to the last fresh I used to put down my loss at £50 per annum, but since the last Hood I cannot tell. I have been two or three weeks carting the tailings off to find the mangolds and carrots. 12a. 77" Chairman.] What did you do with the tailings?—] tipped them on top of some other tailings on the banks of the river. 13. Mr. Mueller.] What do you assess the damage to the mangolds and carrots/—I think the loss on the mangolds and (a,riots is about .£25, and it cost about £30 lor carting the tailings off. 14. Can you put anything down to the loss of fertility of the soil / -Yes : it will never be so good again. 15. Without any tailings on your land, what would you consider the value of it?— Fifty pounds per acre. 16. Mr. Mitchelson.] For building-sites or grazing?— For grazing. I would not sell it for that. 17. The Chairman.] What would you rent that land for previous to the last II 1/—I have been paying £2 per acre for land not nearly so good as mine--some of George Buchanan's land, for which I am now paying £1 per acre since the flood. 18. Mr. Mueller.] Have you a luilk-run/ Yes, I supply milk to Karangahake. 10. Have you lost cattle through the silt? -No, I cannot say 1 have. 20. How does the present Hooding of your land com],are with the Hoods of Fifteen or twenty years ago/ -Fifteen oi- twenty years ago we did not have a II 1 just a bit of a fresh, which lasted for an hour or two. 21. Now, what effect has a flood?—The last flood took about twelve hours before the waters left, and it- was 4 ft. or 5 ft. deep. 22. Previously, would it require much rain to cause a Hood? —Yes, about forty-eight hours. 23. What do you attribute that to?—I attribute it to the silting-up of the river. It has not such a capacity to take the water away as it had. The bed of the river was filled up in one place at Mackaytown about 3 ft.: the cows used to have to swim across it. Now that bank is about • > chains long and 1 chain wide of silt. 24. Have you noticed that fine tailings have been deposited on the grass itself? —Yes, and mud tailings too. 25. What effeel has that on the cattle/ -They will not eat it. 26. Will this stuff blow off or wash off?—A little of it will wash off, but in the dry weather, when the cattle eat closely, they arc bound to swallow some of it. 27. How far from the river-bank have tailings been deposited on your land/ —About 6 or 7 chains, when the ground begins to rise. 28. Just previous to this last March H 1, did you not have an area of land ploughed up/ Before the January Hood came I had it ploughed up, but that left about 2ft. of tailings on it: now il has about Oft. id' tailings on it. It took me two days to find a harrow. 20. Can you give an estimate id' what you consider you have lost in hard cash on your land I I consider £1,000 would not pay me for the whole loss sustained by silt. Fourteen acres has been completely spoiled ever since, and I reckon that at £2 per acre per year. 30. When did you first notice the silt coming on your land?— About five or six years ago. 31. The Chairman.] At that time silt was going past you in the stream, I presume?— Yes. It did not fill the stream up then. 32. Mr. Mueller.] And the deposit on your land has taken place since then?— Yes. 33. Does it appear to be increasing or decreasing?-—lncreasing. 34. Mr. Tunkx.] Has not the making of the railway-line helped to block up the river near you?—No, not near me. Higher up it may have done, but nowhere else. 35. Has not the putting-in id' the spoil higher up helped to fill up the river?—lt is the tailings that has done the mischief. There is not much mullock below Mackaytown Railwaystation, 36. Has not the presence of mullock in the river helped to make the river flood?—It has left a lot of mullock up at Irishtown and Mackaytown. 37. What would you suggest should be (lone with the silt?-—We want it stopped, and it is for an expert to say how it should be stopped. 38. Has not some application been made to you to take away some of your tailings?—l would not let them take the tailings. 39. Did they not want to take some tailings off your land? —Only from the river. 40. What is the land worth to you now?—Tt is not worth anything. 41. The Chairman.] Did any one ask you to allow then, to lake tailings away from your property?- No. 42.' .1//-. MeVeagh.] When did you take up your land?—Tn 187 R. 43. That was when you came to this district?—l came to this district in 1875. 44. Tt is low-lying land, is it not?—Tt is about 10ft. or 12 ft. above the river.