D.—4

74

Titoki, Thursday, 27th April, 1911. Eber Baldwin examined. (No. 44.) 1. The Chmrmav.] What is your position ?—I am a farmer, residing at Kirikopuni, and hold 500 acres of land. 2. Will you make a statement to the Commission regarding the matters we are inquiring into '. I think the matter has been very comprehensively discussed by witnesses in other places, and 1 do not think T can add much to the evidence that has already been μ-iven. It appears to me, from my own point of view, that the Main Trunk line should take the most central route possible, to give the most benefit to the greatest number of people. I think the western route answers that purpose. From a settlement point of view, I'am sure that the Whangarei side has the best of it at the present time ; but I think that in a very short time—say. anything from five to eight years the western side will outnumber the eastern side considerably, particularly if the western route is put through at a fairly early date. My main reason for saying that is that I think the country tapped by the western route, as laid out by the present survey, is without question the best land in the province north of Auckland, taking it as a whole. T would also like to mention the question of freights. Tt is a serious question in the western district, We pay from £1 10s. to £1 155., and sometimes as high as £2 per ton to deliver goods to Kirikopuni. Compare that with tin , eastern freights, and T believe Tarn correct in saving that the freight by water from Whangarei to Auckland is about ss. to Bs. (id. per ton, and for delivering Inroad twenty-two miles inland from Whangarei Port Is. to 2s. per hundredweight. On the western side I pay for packing, one to three miles. Is. to ss. per hundredweight. What it would cost to take it twenty miles at that rate 1 cannot say. 1 have paid as much as Is. per hundredweight for half a mile. I think there is only one remedy to get over these things, and that is direct trade through to Auckland. I think, also, that by having the western route it means a tremendous lot for the northern district, and probably a good deal for the eastern, too. in the way of roads. Tt is impossible to make roads under the present conditions. It costs too much. I know that metal has cost up to '-I ss. per yard to road one piece of land within four miles of DargavOle. The only way to overcome this is to have some easy means to transport the metal, and so far as I can see the easiest means would lie by railway. Then, with regard to the question of timber and the settlement of land after the timber is off, I would like to say that we have undoubtedly the largest extent of thnber in the north of Auckland. There is only one means of working it reasonably, and that is by the railway. 3. Mr. Rnnayne.] Does that refer to the cast or to the west ?—To the western route distinctly, in my opinion. T happen to be dealing in timber very largely myself, and know something about the <ost of transport by the different methods, and T think there are many millions of feet of timber in the nor: h that cannot be transported by any other means than by the railway. T cannot put a correct estimate upon it. but I should imagine that between Wairoa and the Hokianga River there are 600,000,000 ft. of exportable millable timber. T think the majority of that land, when the timber is cleared off it. is of the best quality for settlement. I think I can substantiate Mr. Harding's estimate of that area as being about 1,000,000 acres. T have travelled through ii by every possible route from here to the Bay of Islands. It is good agricultural land and good grazing-country. When I say agricultural land, 1 think it must have a good deal done to it before it is fit for agriculture. We, must have means of transporting our stuff to Auckland, which is our market for small quantities. We must have small settlers to make the country do, and I think the smaller the area the land is cut up into the better. .1 might mention that I think, with due regard to Mr. Wilson in surveying the route, that there is room for a shortening of the distance. I know the country as well as any man in the north, and T think there are possibilities of shortening the route and saving one tunnel at least. 4. You say you want a direct line of communication with Auckland, so as to enable you to gel cheap freights ?—I think we must be able to ship in small quantities, otherwise we have to hold large sections, and Ido not think that is a good thing for the country. The small settler cannot, on account of the present freight, ship to Auckland. 5. What will the small settlers send to Auckland by rail ?—1 think all the small settler produces. He will probably send a good deal in the way of fat stock and probably a good deal of small agricultural produce —potatoes and especially maize. We have here the best maize country outside of Opotiki in New Zealand. 6. Would that 600,000,000 ft, of timber all go through to Auckland ?—ln dealing with timber it strikes me it will be milled on the ground and exported straight to Auckland on the trucks. 7. Is it not possible to ship a good deal of kahikat§a to Australia via Wairoa ?—lt is quite possible to ship it there if it suited the trade better, but I think it will be milled on the ground. 8. Is there no possibility of water carriage interfering these goods being vailed from Auckland to Onehunga and shipped from there to Kirikopuni, and then railed out to the settlers ?—ln my opinion. the railway will compete with the river in shipping timber or general freights as at present. There is a large transhipment. Ido not see how they can reduce their freight from £2 per ton to compete with the railway rates. 9. I notice in travelling through the country that the creeks are largely used for driving timber to the Wairoa : would that be continued ? —That is the very point we want to avoid. We are leaving a third of the good timber by not being able to float it down. 10. Why? —It cannot be put into the rivers. We take out the millable timber that will float. and leave the rest, and it is burnt. One of the main features in handling timber is being able to put it on the market straight away. 11. These 600,000,000 ft, of timber that you speak of extend from Wairoa to Hokianga : where will the timber in the Hokianga direction go —by rail or to Hokianga Harbour to be shipped ? —ln my opinion, it will probably go by rail to Hokianga, and be shipped there—that is. the portion in the Hokianga watershed.