I). \V. McAfiTHUB.i

115

C—l 4.

82. Have you studied the matter to see whether improvements could be made where the two rivers meet one another?— Yes. 83. What opinion have you formed.—l have thought many a time of cutting through at the bend at that place. That is the cutting recommended by Mr. Metcalfe. Ii comes out above the Puke Wharf, above Thorp's orchard. 84. You have not estimated what the cost would be?— No. 85. Have you never recommended that before? —No. I have not recommended it. We have talked about it. 86. I think ihe cut would be a fairly expensive one?— Yes. T am speaking of the cut immediately below the Junction. It would only be a cut of some 900 ft. Besides that, you would have to cut or kill all the willows. 87. The samples you took were taken all the same day?—Y T es. One sample was taken at the Ngararahi Bend, where Mr. Metcalfe proposes to make a cut. I took the sample on the left-hand bank. 88. Is that the lowest bank? —No, not at that point. The right-hand side there is the lowest. 89. Did you examine the other bank of the river?— No. 90. Did you observe silt there? —Yes. what I believed to be mining sib. just above the Junction, opposite Ngararahi. opposite to where T took the No. 2 sample. 91. Where do you suggest that that mining silt came from?— There was only one place where it could come from, and that was from the Ohinemuri River. 92. You think it came straight over from the Ohinemuri? —The indications showed that. The indications \svw perfectly plain on the mill-road. There was no mistake as to where the current had been. I do not think tailings had come up as far as that. 93. What is the width of the river where you took No. •'! sample?— Two or three hundred feet. 94. What was the depth of the water where you took the sample?— About a 12 ft. rod. T took the sample from the launch al low water. Tt was taken from the channel. 95. T suppose you expected to find a lot of tailings in the channel? —I did not find them. 96. Did you take it from the surface?— About 2 in. under. Wherever I took the sample the depth was under 12 ft. 97. Can you say what the depth was at the time you took it?— Anything from 6 ft. to 10ft., except where 1 took the sample opposite Hape Creek. 98. So that we may presume you were looking for the channel, and you took your samples from there?— Yes, from the bottom of the river. 99. You spoke about th- water running up some drain on the west bank of the Waihou?— Yes: one was above the 4'irohia Railway-station. 1. was an outfall from the swamp, and in floodtime the water runs the other way. I cannot say where the other drains are. 100. When you were Engineer to the County Council the railway was not open lo Waihi al that time?— No. 101. Can vim give us sour- indication of the traffic on the Main Una, 1 ?-- .\bout four hundred horses left Paeroa every morning for about live days in the week, and there were twelve wagons regularly on the road, with eight horses in each wagon —each wagon containing from 6 to 8 tons. 102. 1 think the heavy machinery all went out that way.'—Yes. weighing as much as 50 tons. 103. That road was a great expense lo the county for upkeep?— Yes. 104. You know that thousands of pounds was expended on the road for upkeep?— Yes. 105. There was a large sum of money expended on the road from Waitekauri to the Golden Cross? —Yes: it was principally Government grants. 106. The county spent a lot of money on the tracks and roads? —Yes. 107. You had also to look after several gold-mining townships? —Yes. 108. Waitekauri. Golden Cross. Waikino. Mackaytown. Paeroa. and Maratoto?—Yes. 109. So that out of the gold duty the county received it had to provide for eight or nine mining townships, besides the upkeep of the county roads? —Yes. but they got enormous Covernment grants. 110. Could they have made all that expenditure from their ordinary revenue? —No. 111. The Government was at that time spending money in opening up goldfields by roads and tracks? —Yes. 112. Mr. Myers.] You know that there are drains running into the upper Waihou that carry down debris other than milling silt? —Yes, many of them run through sandy country. 113. Would you or would you not expect large quantities of material to be brought down those drains?— Yes ; you see the sand running into the river at the end of the drains. 114. That is ordinary alluvium—nothing to do with mining silt? —It is what is generally termed pumice sand —quartz. 115. Did you see any other kind of material coming down those drains?—ln wet weather the water in the drains is muddy. The sand that has been taken out of the ditches has been put on the top of the roads in many places as metal, and the result is that when a shower of rait, comes it is washed off the roads into the drains. 116. You referred to the willows on the Waihou : you have said nothing about the willows on the banks of the Ohinemuri Biver: do you think that if those willows were cut down the condition of matters would be ameliorated?— Yes, certainly: I would cut every willow in sight. 117. You think that would ameliorate the condition of matters? —Yes. The water will get away quicker, and the river will be nearer its original condition. 118. Do you think that would cause floods lower down the river? —I do not know whether it would or not. The flood would get away quicker than it does at present. 119. Have you considered the question of erecting stop-banks?— Yes; that is quite apparent to any one who looks at the river.