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13. How does that affect their milk-capacit v /-It injures the milking 14. How far down the river have you noticed tailings in the sides ~f the river?—As far down as Ihe creamery at .Netherton. It may be further down 15. What effect on the channel has the use of the rive, by ,1,,- steamers made/- They stir ,1 up and keep the channel more open. Every fresh .he sand is shifted : you may find deep water id one Place one tune, and then another Hood comes aud there is a shallow there ' 16. What is your experience as regards the navigability of the river/ -I, used to be navigable a, one time, but it is ,„„ navigable now. I , «f er / ing ,„ „„- Ohinemuri River a the W a,hou lor halt a mile below the Junction. ' 17. Mr. Myers] For what purpose did you take soundings in 1895?-] could not tell you tailing ilThe a Sd b oMnt e ri>:rl 3T """' "" """■" **« "' — ''" >"" «« 19. Are you speaking now of the river below the Junction/ -A portion of it 2(L Ihe,,, according to you, whatever your opinion may be worth, the river as far as you wen below the Junction has been silted up by mining tailings in the bed/ There may be a little Waihou River sand amongst „, but you can easily distinguish .he difference 21. Do you say that during every fresh .he stuff that is on the banks and in the river shifts' No on the bank, but ,n the bed of the river. If there is a big flood they shift from .he bank ml,, the river. will ',">' ''' BiI V S ] T ','"", " X ' ''" ' und *rstand you .„ say that damage «U still happen to the surrounding land whenever a fresh occurs, shifting .he stuff that is now in tne river?—li you do not put any more stuff into it il will not do any more damage 2d. Mr. I lendoii.] i O U say thai the floods have been more severe in the las. few" years- have you compared the rainfall of the last few years?— No. 21. Do you know anything of ihe treatment of tailings/ No. !5- '' / ',' - ]l "'''"■] Do you remember looking f or a section-peg fust below Kenny's? Yes 26. What did you have to do to find that peg /-1 had to dig into the tailings-bed 2,. How deep did you dig?— Probably about 8 ft. 28. I),, you remember what state the river was in in previous years where you dug that 8 ft j I put a peg there about eight years ago. That peg was 2 ft. 9 in. out of the ground, I think' It was about 15 ft. up from the bank. 29. What was once the bed of the Waihou River opposite Kenny's is now Idled „p by a hioanki —res. ' i . rGeobqe Buchanan further examined. (No. 25.) 1. Mr. Myers.] You are chairman of ihe Silting Association?— Yes. 2. How long have you been chairman /-Abou. a fortnight before last Christmas I waselecled d. It is part ot the association s case is il not/ a. this inquiry that tin- bed of the Waihou River below the Junction has been raised by the silt from the batteries of the various mining companies?—l am not aware thai .hey put forward a case. Mr. Mueller slated it for them I. I want to know whether or no,, your association alleges that the river below the June, ion has been silted up by stufl from the batteries? Mos, deoidedly it has been below the Junction Ii is visible. •>. For the case that ihe association makes 1 understand that you mainly rely upon tin evidence ol the farmers who have already been called?— Also on .he evidence of the townspeople 0. Have you during the present year had any examination or investigation made by an engineer or engineers?— Yes, the association has. 7. Who was the engineer / -Mr. Metcalfe, of Auckland. 8. Has your association made any arrangement to call him as a witness / Not as . 9. Did Mr. Metcalfe furnish a report to your association?— Yes. 10. 1 ask you to produce it? —Here it is." [Exhibit No. 13.] 11. Mr. Metcalfe apparently is of opinion that, even if the river-lied below the Junction has been raised, the bed consists of Waihou sands, and not tailings. Do you know if that is bo? I was not with Mr. Metcalfe when he went down the river. The method of taking tin- samples at that lime was by a large jam-tin. or something of the sort, at the end of a long pole It was merely surface sand. They did uot go down underneath ihe surface. There may Ik-, of course layers of tailings aud sand deeper down. 12. I),, I understand that you. the chairman ~f the Silting Association, are challenging on that point the opinion of Mr. Metcalfe, the engineer appointed by the association lo make this investigation?— No. We have only a limited amount of money, and that is why Mr. Metcalfe has not been called to Paeroa. 13. In your evidence the other day you put in a report from Mr. Montgomery?— Yes 14. Why did you not put in Mr. Metcalfe's report at the same time? — ! do not know. William Hbkrt Bmett examined. (No. 26.) 1. Mr. Mueller.] You are a carrier residing at Paeroa?- Yes. 2. How long have you Ik-cii carrying on your present business here?— For the las. fifteen or sixteen years ■'I. In the curse of your business you have to do with all sorts of building-material bricks and lime? —Yes. 1. Did you gel good building-sand in the Ohinemuri River a few years ago? Yes, ten or 1 welve years ago. 5. Have you been able to get any of that sand in recent years?- Not except with a lot of trouble. It is well covered up.