62

W.SBBTTIS.

0.—14.

59. I suppose you remember the river when there were pretty steep banks.' It has not altered so much below Netherton. Up here it has. 60. From Te Puke down are there not places where there is a fair deposit of sand where previously there was a hank? —Yes, since the last 11 1. _ 01 You have only noticed that accumulation during the last few years?— Yes. G2 Presuming that that accumulation were to continue, and gradually got bigger and bigger, 1 think it would be only the scour of your propellers that would keep it down/—lf it keeps on increasing it will gradually fill up. G3. You would have to plough your way up/—Yes. 64. Right down past Kopu, at the mouth of the river, there is a shallow place/— Yes, there always has been. . . 65. What time of the tide do you usually pass there/ -At the present time, 1 suppose, al about four hours ebb. . . 66 Can you cross that at more than four hours ebb? -Yes, at a little more than that. It is about an hour and a half within low water that there is a chance of sticking there. 67. Can you state whether that shoal is becoming affected at all m later years/—1 do not think so To the best of my knowledge it is not getting any shallower. 68. It very seldom happens that you gel down there too late?— Very seldom. _ 69. Previously, when you came to the Junction, you very often got down too late/—that is so. 70 You know Robinson's place, at Waimarie Hand?— Yes. 71. Is not that getting shallower? It might be jusi on the bank, but there is a deep bend there We run quite close in there. 72 Have you not to go closer there than you used to ,1,,. on account ol the bar extending out at the Waimarie Bend?-No; we always had to take the whole sweep coming round that bend 73, Since you gave your evidence previously your views on this river have slightly altered J— Yes since the last flood. , ~,.., • , . i , . 74. You stated then that above Te Puke the tailings affected the bed oi the river, but below thfti since the las, fl I' I said i, is on the banks of the river There is no difference in the channel so far as 1 know, but the channel might be 6 m. or a little more shallowing on the lied a bit. . 76 So the river has been affected to that extent ?—There is no doubt about it. 77 You know a number of people who own launches on the river?— Yes 78.' They have to travel the river at all stages of the tide and every day !- \es 79. They would know the river pretty thoroughly—the portions they travel ovei /-lhc> Sl "' U flo d lf S< several of those who have launches state that in their experience in the last few years the river has been shallowing ami the banks have been contracting by this deposit, you would not lay that w«• fX?-No; we have not the same chance of seeing it, but if the water shallowed to any extent we must notice it. ~ M 81 For the last three years you have never seen the river at dead low water /-No 82! Within the last five or six years have you nol had the experience of having to lighter some of your caro-o?—Not since we have been coming to To Puke. ' ? 83 ffing up the other day, did you not shallow near the Netherton creame, y-the da, now-have they noi got special water-tanks forward? -Ye b w e'use them. Since we have been running to Te Puke we have never used the , lii i- f,- il, . bin's ,i«e We formerly used then, for trimming the ship. tank 85 at £r. down on the banks of the river since the las, Hood! ~ Ye BG Has the channel been affected in consequence or not?—l could hardly say for certain S?' f understood you to say that, as far as you could tell, there had been no effect upon the channel itself?—No, except you went a long time back. S That is, extending over a period of twelve or fourteen years?-Yes. S! : &ff consists of Waihou River sand or —- y T^Z^^Sr^^\ S the W, arie BemU-Thcre is another very shallow soot between the creamery and Robinson s. i S£SiSffiS£s3Sa£sß*MS» to those places the tide has lifted, say, 18 in. or I tt.