C—l 4.

114

D. W. McARTHUR.

43. Do the willows not have another effect when the branches break off?— Yes, the current sometimes breaks the branches off, and they float down the stream and become planted by nature. 44. You know that portion of the Waihou River above Tirohia Railway-station?— Yes. 45. And at a lower point on the left bank of the river? —Yes. 46. Have you seen where the flood-waters overflow the Waihou Kiver at that place?—No, not myself. 47. Have you examined it with a view to determining whether the flood-waters do overflow there? —I do not think they could do anything else but flow over there, owing to the lowness of the banks and the condition of the willows. 18. What direction would those flood-waters take?— Westerly and northerly. II). Where would they make for then? —Towards Te Awaiti Creek. 50. Where would they ultimately break away?—lf the Awaiti Creek was in flood at the time, the extra water would certainly flow both ways; and I think from appearances it is quite clear that they came down into the back of Netherton from somewhere, because the water was falling over into the Waihou Biver there ; but whether it came from the Waihou or the Piako I cannot say. 51. Where would the flood-water that overflows at the Tirohia Railway-station make for? —In a westerly direction, and I believe that water also gets into the Awaiti Creek, across Section 6547. It crosses that road-line. I have seen it running over that road-formation in the olden days. 52. You have observed a number of drains that flow from the swamp on the left bank of the Waihou above the Junction ?—Yes. 53. Are they provided with flood-gates?—l do not know. 54. Would the waters of the Waihou in flood-time make up those drains and run across country?— Certainly; if the water got into the drains it would run back until it came to its own level. 55. The left bank of the Waihou is higher immediately adjoining the bank than the country at the back of it?— Yes, in many places. 56. Are there not large swamps there that would retain the flood-waters?— Yes. 57. The Netherton country is low-lying land, is it not?-—Yes. 58. A good deal of draining has been done there?— Yes. 59. Mr. Moresby.] When were you first Engineer to the Ohinemuri County Council? —Decern her. 1895. 60. How long did you continue to be Engineer?— Fifteen months, the first time. 61. When did you again become Engineer to the County Council?—l9ol, I think. 62. How long did you continue to be Engineer on that occasion?— Two years. 63. You left the Ohinemuri County Council when the Waihi Borough was formed, and became Engineer to that body ?—Yes. 64. What was the state of the island just above the Junction when you first became Engineer .' —I do not know exactly. My attention was never called to it until the formation of the small bank. It was in 1895, I think. 65. Do you remember Captain Sullivan doing anything there?— No. 66. Captain Sullivan states that he put in a groin of 200 ft. in order to divert the current at the top part of the island? —If he did that, it was well out of existence after the first flood. I remember seeing a few stakes there that appeared to have been put in. 67. What did you do at that time?—l put in a groin at the top, and then extended it to a certain point. The groin is in existence now. 68. What did that island consist of at that time—river-tailings?—The first time I saw it it was river-sand. I do not remember any mining tailings there then. When I saw it in 1901 there were some mining tailings on it. 69. A fairly large deposit? —No. 70. What object did you have in putting in the groin? —To scour away the bank that had formed in the old steamer-channel, where the new bank is formed. 71. I think, in 1901 the "Waimarie" and other steamers used to come up to the Junction? —Yes. 72. I have a letter here signed by you as County Engineer, dated ttl, September, 1902. in reference to that bank?— Yes. 73. That island has not gradually disappeared? —It is closer in to the bank than it was then. 74. Has that island not got larger?— Yes. 75. So that the effect of that groin was not to make the island disappear I—No : there is very heavy water coming down the Ohinemuri —heavy stuff—and at low water in the Waihou there would be still water there. 76. Was not that an old main channel that the steamers came up?— Yes. 77. There would not be still water in the main channel?—lhere were two currents operating against each other. The water eddies round and round there. I saw a large branch of willow-tree stranded there. I stated to the Council that it should be cut down. However, it was covered up very quickly. 78. Do you consider that the groin you put in is an obstruction to the Waihou?—l do not know that it is. 79. Are you prepared to say that it is?—l am prepared to say that in its position now. and if it were made 6 ft. higher, it would sweep everything out that side of the river, provided you let all the water come down the Waihou that nature intended should come down. 80. That is still your opinion, notwithstanding what you have seen of the present entrance to the Ohinemuri I —Yes. 81. Do you consider the entrance to the two rivers a good entrance? —No.