A. I STALLWORTHY.!

63

P.—4.

'■W. How many sheep does it carry ■ I '1" not know. 37. You have no facts, then, to go on.- —Yes. 38. Well, what are they regarding the eastern side '. All you can cay is thai the western side is carrying two sheep to the acre. Is not that land in the western portion hush land and State forest ! —Please name your point. 89. Take Te Karaka '. There is a lot of excelleni country.there, and a good deal is in grass carrying sheep and cattle. 10. How many to the acre '. — 1 do not know. 41. You have no knowledge of facts beyond the bare assertion thai one side is better than the other ? —Yes ; I have seen the cattle and sheep grazing on the slopes. 42. You cannot tell us what the country is carrying I The census returns will tell you that. 43. Where does the hulk of the population lie in the northern part of that peninsula between the central line and which coast ?—I would refer you to the census just taken. 44. Will you not admit that it lies to the cast of the western route '. 1 will not admit it. 45. As between Dargaville and Whangarei, where are the greatest number of people travelling ( I lira not in a position to say. but taking the last few years you will find much more growth in the western district, and probably many more people have passed through Dargaville than through Whangarei. I believe our Post Office returns knock Whangarei out with regard to the respective amounts of money passing through. 46. I am asking you about the passenger traffic '. 1 should say that probably more people travelled through Dargaville than through Whangarei. t7. Notwithstanding the fact thai people come from Kaikohe, Bay of Islands, and other places, and pass-through Whangarei ?--—Notwithstanding that. 18. Is the Ifolison County much more populous than the Whangarei ( ounty, Bay of Islands County, and Whangarei Borough i— Thfire are many parts of our district more thickly populated than some parts you mention. 49. Is Hobson County more populous than Whangarei County :' On the figures on which the Marsden Hospital Board was constituted there is not much difference either way. 50. Is the population equal to that of the Bay of Islands and Whangarei combined ? —Do you include Otamatea ? 51. That is. south of McCarroll'a Gap \ It is all tapped by the western route. 52. In what way ? —lf the line north of McCarroll's Gap is not going to produce sufficient revenue to m&ke it pay, all the line south of McCarroll's Gap must be affected accordingly. 53. There are two lines, one starting at McCarrolPs (Jap and connecting at the Mangakahia, and the other at Maungakaramea : do you say that the one section taken by the eastern route will not pay, while that going by the western route will % — I do not believe that the eastern route, south of Manga kahia, would pay. 54. Will the western section pay ? I believe it will pay handsomely. I believe it will pay its own interest and contribute to the interest on the southern length of line. 55. And although the eastern route touches some of the same country, you say it will not pay ' —I do not think it will ;on the other side there is a different class of country. The Tangihua Range would isolate it from the eastern route. 56. The Chairman.] Did I understand you to put forward.the proposed branch Jine from Ruawai to Paparoa as an alternative suggestion, or in preference to the connection between Kirikopuni and Dargaville ? —No : I did not like the Commission to go away with only one suggestion from this town regarding a connecting line —that from Dargaville to Kirikopuni. Future developments might show the advisability of having another connection, and I wanted to place the suggestion before the Commission, but not as a concrete proposal. 57. We have had three routes suggested, one to connect opposite Dargaville. another one to come out at Raupo, and a third one at Kirikopuni ? —Yes. 58. I suppose you realize that in order to get over to this coast it would mean an enormously expensive bridge ? —Yes. 59. And that goods would have to be taken down by the river to any of these points on the opposite side of the river, and there transhipped to the. railway ?—Yes. 60. That being so, do you not think that, once goods are on the water, it would be cheaper to take them right on by water to Helensville, and then put them on the train there, instead of transhipping them at any of the points you have mentioned ?—That-might possibly be the result. 61. Do you not think, seeing that the most favourable route or connection Dargaville gives them would be by Kirikopuni, which would mean a railway right into Dargaville. it would be better to take that course, and so obviate transhipment ? —Possibly, yes. Jdo not want to discountenance the proposal to connect with Kirikopuni, which may he the most favourable route, hut I have never considered the question in all its details. 62. Mr. Becroft.] You emphasize the possibility of Ruawai becoming a deep-sea port : are you aware that at Young's Point already provision is being made at great expense to take deep-sea ships ? —Yes, but Ido not know that vessels of a certain size can he berthed at Young's Point. I refer to larger vessels we would berth down at Ruawai. 63. Are you aware there is 26 ft. of water at Young's Point at low tide ?—No. 64. Are you acquainted with the eastern route from McCarroll's Gap to the south-east corner of the Tangihuas ? —No. 65. You are acquainted with the western route ? — Yes. 66. Can you compare the two routes ?—I have not been immediately north of Waikiekie.