M. MARRINAN. f

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25. The Chairman.] Did you apply for the money?— Yes, to the Government. 26. What answer did ,you get•?— I cannot say. I suppose it was a sort of uegative one 27. Mr. Hanna.] Did you get any answer at all?—I am not sure. 28. The Chairman.] Why during these ten years and a half has not something been done by the Ohinemuri County Council to look after the river/— No financial means. We are in debt about t- 1 U, > "''l, " Chablbs Edward Lloyd examined. (No. 39.) 1. Mr. Hanna.] You are treasurer of the Karangahake Miners' Union?— Yes. 2. You heard the evidence given by the chairman and secretary to the union / — Yes. 3. Do you agree with the evidence that has been given ?—Yes. I should just like to explain in regard to the conference that was held: We agreed to hold back our petition provided the association took iction to revoke the Proclamation ; and the outcome of the whole conference was to force the Governmenl to find some solution of the trouble. Then we saw by the Auckland Herald that Mr. Strange, a member of the Silting Association, had asked the assistance of the Piako County Council in the matter of the revocation of the Proclamation. We took it from that that the Silting Association were not keeping their promise, and we sent in our petition. That is the whole position. 4. Mr. Mueller.] Mr. Strange is a member of the County Council living near Te Aroha?—Yes. 5. Do you say he was a member of the Silling Association ?—The Hera/,/ report stated he attended the meeting of the Piako County Council as representing the Silting Association. 6. You do not know thai the Silting Association had decided to oppose the public battery just before th,-\ conferred with you. and that that conference caused them not to make any bother about the battery?—l do not remember any mention of the battery at the conference. 7. You agree that it was admitted at this conference by all parties interested that something should be done?— That is so. 8. And the only idea was to get that something done which would not injure either the mines or the farms?—-Yes. 9. I suppose you know yourself that a considerable amount of damage has been suffered by the farmers?— Yes. 10. And your Miners' Union admitted that?—l think they did at the time. 1 admit it myself. 11. The only question was whether to go for the revocation or not?—lt was a matter of dropping the revocation and getting some other solution. 12. And you think that that something else should Ik- done even at the present time?—l do honestly. 13. Are you a member of the Ohinemuri County Council?— Yes. 14. The Chairman.] And you are a member of the River Board?— Yes. 15. Do you know anything about this vote of .£l,OOO? —I think we were asked by the Silting Association to try and obtain the money and get it spent. We got a reply that the matter was under consideration, and that the money would be rcvoted in 1910. 16. Mention was made that the miners and Silting Association were jointly to get some evidence as to what was to lie done?—l do not remember anything about that. The whole wind-up of the meeting was that we would force some solution on the Government. In regard to the River Board, some mention has been made of a couple of sections that the Board had taken on which to clear the willows. We received a letter from a person named, I think. Uytton, who reckoned he had a g 1 mode for getting rid of the willows, and the Engineer was appointed lo pick him out a section, and he was to clear the section on the principle of "No cure no pay." We granted him another section afterwards, and he has had no pay. We have recently given one of our members. Mr. Strange, a few gallons of Noxine, with which to cxpcrimoiil on tile willows at Maugaiti. We heard thai bj getting rid of the willows they had lowered the Waipa River 9 ft. to its original level. 17. You must have thought and talked over what can be done: what can be done, in your opinion, as a practical man?—My honest opinion is that it is a matter of getting rid of the willows. My honest opinion also is that the gold-extraction company are going to do a lot of good if they lift the stuff and put it back in another way. They were getting this stuff out of the Wait it i Creek, on the top of the Waihi dam, and one day 1 went up to have a look for myself. I went up in a launch in the winter-time, and for three-quarters of a mile to a mile I took a pole, and 1 oould get 9 ft. of water. Therefore 1 think, if it is going to do good on the top of the dam, it is going to do good in the river. They were treating the silt practically on the top of the Waihi dam, and discharged it back into the Waititi Creek, and then it was going back into the dam proper. Mr. Hanna.] That is the case for the Karangahake Miners' Union. William Sullivan examined. (No. 40.) 1. Mr. Tanks.] You are master of the s.s. "Taniwha"?—Yes. 2. How long have you known this Ohinemuri River? —About twenty-seven years. 3. During that time have you been actively engaged in navigating the river/ —Yes. 4. How long have you been on the '• Taniwha"?—About thirteen years —ever since she was built. 5. And you have been going up and down every day? —Every day, pretty well. 6. What" is the draught'of the " Taniwha "?—taking her light, she is 6 ft. aft and 4 ft. 6 in. forward. When she came up this morning loaded she was drawing 7 ft. 9 in. aft and 7 ft. 2 in. forward. Her tonnage is 191. 7. Did you have any difficulty in getting up this morning?—No difficulty. It is a tidal river.