D.-4.

78

P. J. O'CAPROLI,.

down this way, which would be developed at a greater rapidity if there was quick and speedy transit ; and .ill along the eastern slopes of the Tangihuas is admirably adapted foi fruit-growing. In fact. 1 have heard it stated by advocates of the western mute that there is a vallrv close to where I live thai would make a fortune if planted in peach groves. 1 believe there has been a good deal of capital made by advocates of the western route regarding the poor quality of the land on the eastern side. Even supposing we admit that to be true, which we do not. it is admitted that the ] r patches will grow fruit if properly cultivated. Another great point in favour of tin , eastern route is that the land is held in smal er holdings, which means a greater population. On the western side of the Tangihuas the land is held in large holdings, and largely for speculative purposes. As regards population and the number of stock. I do not think it is my place to go into that, as the members of the Commission are probably better acquainted with the statistics than I could be. I know that stock have been driven from Whangarei right to Wayby to get the benefits of railway communication. The dairying industry would get a great lift if there was railway communication to develop the country. In that connection. I may say that the district from Maungakaramea to Mangakahia has no other way of distributing its produce than by a railway : it lias no rivers, and the produce has to be [tacked or sledged to the point from which it has to be carried. lam a supplier of the Whangarei Dairy Factory, and 1 live seventeen miles from Whangarei. and there are fellow-suppliers of mine who live considerably farther, and our cream and their cream has In lie sledged by one lor the whole year to the receiving-Station. There has been a lot said about freight being 7s. (id. aton. That is the very minimum to the Whangarei Town wharf, and it is only with regard to a single class (if goods. Compared with freights to Wairoa. when cartage is considered, there will not be much to show in our favour. Ff then' is any hardship in thai connection it is on our side. There is a meat difference between a freight to your wharf, from which you can lake the goods to your house; and the same freight to the wharf from which you have to cart lor a distance of seventeen mi'e.s. It simply means here that it is often impossible to get your cartage done at any price. There are plenty of limes when we have to pay Is. anil Is. (id. per hundredweight to gel cartage, and we have to take it as a compliment to gel it (loin , at that. In the early days we had to bring all our goods in on our own backs. That shows this district has been settled for a considerable time. I would like to refer to the school-roll. The number of children on the roll of the Mamma karamea School is seventy seven, and thirty years ago there were sixlv-two on the roll. That shows that if we started at nothing we have held our own pretty well ever since. That also shows that since that time we have been pretty consistent, and there have been several relays of good citizens provided from that school in the meantime. As regards the quality of the land. I think the land on this side will compare favourably with the land on the western side, or anywhere you like to go. There is land on this side of tin , mountains that will compare favourably with any land in New Zealand. It has been said in evidence that the land on the western side was good land. I admit that : but at the same time it was said that the land on the eastern side would not feed a grasshopper to the acre. That is not a lair thine to say. At the agricultural shows held on this side there has been cattle and stock shown which will compare favourably with that of many other places in New Zealand with greater railway facilities. There has been stock sent from Whangarei to .Auckland shows which has taken first prize fat stock at that. I would liko to mention that this district has been settled lor fifty years, and it has been settled by men who helped to make the country what it is. They came here to carve out homes for themselves; they made the land their own: and their children grew up inculcated with the same spirit ; and it has been looked upon almost as a birthright that the railway would pass through their eouiit ry at some time. :\. Mr. Evans.] You would like to have the Whangarei connection and also the eastern route I Yes. I. What is the present rate of Ereighi from Auckland to .Maungakaramea '. It varies according to the goods. To Mangapai, which is our nearest port, twelve miles away, the freight is 12s. lid. From there to here it is a mallei of circumstances Is. to Is. (id. a hundredweight : and at times we cannot gel it done at all. 5. Mr. Ronayne.] The Commission have been told that the freights from Auckland to Mangapai wharf wen , as low as "is. a ton by scow and 7s. (id. to Bs. (id. by steamer : have you benefited by any such low rates '. Never. (i. The rales quoted by previous witnesses are not correct ] I am quoting the Ereights of the Northern Steamship Company by boats that make daily and weekly calls. I have lived as much in the Wairoa as hen', and I have known freights landed there practically for nothing because they were cariied as ballast potatoes and Hour particularly^. 7. Could you believe that there is a charge of 12s. (id. to .Mangapai. and thai it is only 12b. (sd. to Whangarei, higher up the harbour I lam not in a position to say. I know that any freights I have paid have been 12s. 6d. to Mangapai. I have not had much to do with it. 8. If the line was constructed by the eastern route, would you get all your goods from Auckland liv thai route '. 1 should think so. but cannot say. 9. You would get them by the cheapest route '. That. I think, would lie by railway, because of Ihe saving in cartage, which at present is a very heavy item. 10. Do you think the railway would get the cement you mention to carry, and that it would not go by sea I— I think there would be a big freighi by railway. 11. To Auckland \ It would lie distributed along the line, and perhaps to Auckland also. 12. Is there a large demand for cement in the country (■ I consider that it will be used largely by public bodies for bridges, culverts, &c. 13. You cannot tell the Com mission how many hundredweight of cement were used in this set lie ment last year ?—No. It has not been used here as it should have been, because the rate of cartage is prohibitive.