C—l 4.

118

[V. W. MCABTHUK.

186. Do you not think that practically all the drains are plaoed, as regards outlete, at the wrong angles to the river? —Yes. 187. And would you recommend them to be placed at one angle I —At an angle down the stream. 188. A material angle?— Yes, of 25° or 30°. 189. You are aware that there was a flood-gate there? —Yes; I am given to understand thai it entirely disappeared in one of the floods. The opening of the drain into the river has become very much enlarged. I have no doubt the flood-gate would have been still there if a little attention had been given to it. 190. Was the County Council a River Hoard when you were its officer? —Yes. 191. And did it do anything as a River Board?—No; there was an annual meeting held ai which the financial position of the Board was considered: and the receipts and expenditure were nil.

Paeroa, Tuesday, 31st Mat, 1910. Arthur Herbert Vivian Morgan examined. (No. 53.). 1. Mr. MeVeagh.] You are Director of the Waihi School of Mines? —Yes. 2. I think you were handed a large number of samples of silt of various descriptions for the purpose of examination and report?— Yes. 3. Samples that were taken at the instance of the Waihi Borough Council?— Yes. 4. You have prepared a report, with a tabulated statement, explanatory of the results of your investigations? —Yes. 5. I think this is the report and explanatory table? —Yes. [Exhibit No. 44.J 6. I observe from the tabulated statement that you have dealt with three classes of silt-deposit? —Yes. 7. And the third class is the last on your tabulated statement? —Yes. 8. That is numbered certain figures over 3 ?—Yes. 9. You were given to understand that the No. 3 series was taken in the neighbourhood and above Te Aroha?—Yes. . , 10. Who were they taken by?—By Mr. Morpeth. The .No. 2 series was taken by Mr. Ilaszar.l and Mr. Morpeth in conjunction, and the No. I series was taken by Mr. McArthur and Mr. Haszard. , , . . , 11 Will you explain the system of classification that ymi adopted in your investigation?— The object of the investigation was to determine as far as possible what proportion of the samples might consist of mining tailings and what proportion could not possibly consist of mining tailings, or in other words, consisted of natural river-sediment. The method adopted was to grade the material into coarse and fine material, the coarse material being too coarse to In; possibly mining tailings, and the lino material being so tine that it might possibly be mining tailings. 1 hen the coarse material was put on one side as being impossible to be mining tailings, and .he line material was further examined under the microscope and in other ways to see what proportion of ,t was """if TtMnk you have a series of columns marked A and B : Please explain these clumns?The samples were separated into four grades. A. B, C, and D. A was the coarse grade, and would remain on a 30-mesh sieve: B was the next coarsest-it passed a 30-mesh and remained on 60 mesh "eve; C passed a 60-mesh and remained on a 90-mesh : D passed the 90-mesh. I took t that A, which remained on a 30-mesh sieve, could not possibly be tailings. It was coarse material. and it was obvious to the naked eye that it was not tailings. It consisted in most eases ol pumice and grains of quartz. 13 The Chairman.] Did you deal with these wet or dry?— Dry. 14 Mr MeVeagh,] Ah to grade B?-Grade B was quite unlike tailings in appearance and I have no doubt the greater proportion of it was not tailings. I have the grades here, and 1 think Ms almost obvious to the naked eye that this grade is not tailings. C and I , however which are fine"enough to be tailings, have the appearance of tailings, and I consider that they are Fi tl'thh,k n yOU.- table shows the percentage of material in each sample that might possibly *\(i nS The Chairman.] By bulk, or weight, or how?—By weight. 17. Mr MeVeagh.] Some samples were taken above Te Aroha „, the neighbourhood of the Gordon Settlement?—l believe so. 18 T think they were taken for the purposes ot comparison ;—Yes. IS' 1 think no" tailings have been discharged up at that point ?-I believe none have been you have arrived at in regard to these tailings taken above 20. Just leier to me ,»" fI„ OTIM , a T think you have in your examination found Waiorongomai £J Waihou River?-Yes, in some a much higher degree f.™^^ £J P BM pc ,- cent, of fine material and 498 per cent, cases. In sample No. 11, for example I n St^ii 'HlS£ S £f 1 came from a wash-out on the road just past the Gordon Bridge. investigation of every sample in that report?-Yes.