[W. SULLIVAN.

80

C—l 4.

8. The Chairman.] At what time of the tide do you come in?— Getting towards high tide. It. still had to rise when I arrived. . , ~ ~ ~ i;,,„. 9 Mr Tunks I Prior to your being in the ■•Taniwha, were you on other steamers trading up the river/ Yes. on (he ' Waimarie " and on the -■Ohinemuri about fifteen years ago. 1 was also on the " Paeroa." ..... i v . u .,.r1,f »-,* 10 What was the tonnage of the " Ohinemuri J—l cannot remember. He draught was about the same as thai of the -Taniwha " when loaded, and when light I think she would draw a little more. She might draw up to X ft. loaded, but she would not exceed that ~ Do V(IU find ally greater difficulty in navigating since the.river has been declared a sludge-channel .ban before? No, no! from where lam running to IV Puke. It is ]ust the same ,s ' :T''nt: , v:,: , l ;;:d'a;:: v ;',:;ances ta &. way of **** »,„ &* is ~.„,», to °* the river, b,„ to lateness on the tide '"' have some twelve stopping-places between Kopu and Te Puke /-Quite that. ; ""' S. OCcSn to give up any of your places „f call below Te Puke since the river became a sludge-channel?— No. r ,. 0 „ti,,? they are 16. As a matter of fact, has not the number ~i places increased greatly?- Yes, they are increasing all the time. i.,n„... ? v OQ • the pffect 17 What sort of a river has it always been-always more or less shallow ?—Yes . the effect of a fresh is sometimes to make a shoal, but it always sweeps away again IS. That is to say. the river is able to manage whatever is brought ,lown?—\es. ID. Have you any reason to think it will not Ik- so in the future?-] should not like to sax that. 1 think'it must be shoaly in the future. ... 20 Why do you think so?-Because there is such an amount ol sand up here that I think it is filling up all'these places, and .■ventually H must come down. 21. What sand are you referring to as coming down which you think will shoal the nvei ?- [t is the sand up here, which was not here years ago. ~.«,,. N . „„„,, 22 Have you found anything in the way of shallows at the entrance to the Gulf ?-No, none. 23. Have You found any alteration in the width of the channel (—No. 24 When'vou are making these calls a. these various places, have you ever to turn lound or to swing out'into the river?—lt depends. We always swing. ,- ,•■ , T ~„_„ 25 I mean, you have an opportunity of judging whether the channel is closing in?-I have nevei noticed it. 'It has never interfered with me in turning. I have plenty ol room. I have not lo industry has been affected by the dudge-channel? Do V(|U cnv ess fish now than you used to carry/ Ido no, think so. We have carried very little Xof late I think it is according i„ the tide or weather. I do not think it IS owing to any Set of the sand I have never heard or noticed thai .he sand had any chect on the fishing. 27 BUve YOU carried less fish within the las, twelve months than during the previous twelve montais/ We may have carried less, but i, is so rarely we ge, fish. The ' 7 Whakatere always You used to go up to Paeroa in the old days: what boat were you in then?—The " Ohinemuri." I was in the " Kotuku " before thai. 29. So you knew the Ohinemuri well in the early days/ Yes. 30 It was a good deep river then, was it not? Yes. 31 \„d before these sands came il was easily navigable up to Paeroa. was it not?-YeB. 32' (an you tell us when you tirs. noticed these sands coming down the nver?-I canno, remember the Year. Il would be more than ten or twelve years ago. To It would be a few years after the river was declared a sludge-channel es ll I',;;;;;,; 1 V()U Dad J go down from ,„„- wharf to the 0i1,,-,- from Wharl Street Wharf and then to the Railway Wharf/ Yes. 35. I think then to Pereniki's Bend?— Yes. •>,O Whit did ihe river get affected with first of all?— 1 his sand. 3?; Do you know where ibis sand came fr 1-1 could make a shrewd guess. There is plenty tla-re'now „ Waimarie „ came t ~ll 1 Y..s • hut it was not owing to the silt first of all. 39~Irter you haToeen at tbf Junction a year or two it began to get pretty bad there?-Yes ? Il You c amined the Junction at one time yourself, and did some engineering works there? Yes I nut in a groin to confine the water. We did it gradually ourselves ll cC YOU live the Commission any idea whereabouts in the Junction you put it in?-I , 'tl iitlsto be Ln now. 1 have no, been there for years. The groin was put in on U Can you remember what length (his grow was?-l should think -00 ft. 43' Did it have the desired effect at the time you put it in?— Yes. 44. 1 think that groin was afterwards added to?— Yes. lo But that was not owing to any recommendation by '™?- No - 4C' Were you using the Junction when it was lengthened ?—Yes. _ I? 0,, you recoenise 'he photo which Mr. Kenny put in this morn,ng?-Ye B tl Mhink. iS 1901 and 1902 the Junction itself began to gel very bad?-It was about that. 1 cannot remember the year.