E. CLIFTON.]

I.—lo.

30. Would yon gay that a man would require a fair amount of capita! to take up land of thai sort i -He would bo perfectly hopeless without a liberal amount of capital; all the land lias to b< ■ improved. SI. It must be improved in grassing ? —Yes, and it must be fertilized for any purpose. 32. What sort of feed is then' Eoi slock ?—Over the greater par! there is no useful feed for stock at all. That country has stood unoccupied for years ; no one has attempted to do anything with it. '■V.\. Is there any stock- about there ?—Not in that immediate vicinity. 34. Are there any rabbits there ?—There are, but they are not numerous. 35. Any wild hoises ? —Not so many as there wen , . They ha\e been shot off. :i(i. Mr. Guthrie.] What will be the comparison between this country and the Murimotu countiy ( — It is very similar country in qual'ty. and it is a beautifully -shaped country- low hills, rolling downs and plateaus, and the greater part of it well watered. 'M. You think as good results could be get in this country as in the .Murimotu country \ -Yes, over the greater part of it ; and from the experiments we have made Eor years .past there is great encouragement. The red-top grass (Agrostis canina) is not a first-class grass, but it is growing well. 38. What, is the rainfall ? —I cannot speak as to that, but I think it is a fairly liberal one. 39. The experiments that you have carried on you think enable you to say that there is a likelihood of the pasture lasting ?—Our experiments have been definitely toward the provision of pasture. The first of these plots was laid down about six or seven years ago. It is between Waiotapu and Galatea, and there this red-top grass is certainly very promis'ng indeed. It has lasted thiough six years, and, I think, seven. Fescue also does very well in that country, but it. is not die of the grasses that is very much appreciated. 40. Do you think this land would have to be out up into fairly huge areas and is only suitable for moneyed men to take up '. Fairly large areas ; and capital would certainly be required to work it. 41. In your experience as a practical man, would two hundred acres be sufficient ? —That would not be sufficiently attractive. I should be very unwilling to take up two hundred acres there. 42. What is your idea of the value of the land ? —I do not know. It is a question one cannot answer very well. Possibly, as compared with Matamata. the Matamata land is worth ten times as much as this Taupo land. 111. Do you know Waiotapu ?— Yes. 44. Is there any land in that vicinity worth £20 an acre j For [arming purposes ? 45. Yes ? — There may be a swamp fairly valuable, but 1 should think it was absolutely out of the question. It would not be a price affecting the country we are speaking of. 46. Are the swamps there different in character to those of the Waikato ? —Usually they are better. The vegetation there is to a great extent raupo, flax, and toe-toe ; and in the Waikato swamps it is principally rushes and ica tree. 47. Then- is only a small proportion of the whole area that, can be classed under the head of swamp land? —Taking the whole area it is comparatively so. I think there are three million acres altogether in the Taupo country. 48. You think it is absolutely necessary to have communication there before the land is tackled ? I think, undoubtedly so. All this country requires fertilizers, as all other country. It is a long way to cart. It is expensive, and fertilizers and supplies can be obtained easily. Ido not think the country can be attacked without railway communication. 49. You know tip- whole distance between Taupo and Rotorua, and also between the southern end of the line and the .Main Trunk line which do you think is the proper connection?— The country we are speaking of. undoubtedly, from the northern side. 50. The present line or the line that has been spoken of from Rotorua to Taupo —which do you think would open up the most country ?—lf I were a settler at Taupo 1 should prefer it from Putaruru, inasmuch as the distance would be shorter. 51. But from your knowledge of the country ? —From Pitaruru. 52. You think that would serve the largest area of land '. I think so. 5:!. Mr. Friiacr.] Have 1 understood you rightly: you said just now that, in the Waikato the land was ten times as valuable as the land within the green, area on the map '. Yes. 54. Were you comparing unimproved land about Matamata with unimproved land here ?—1 was comparing Matamata land unimproved as against unimproved land at Taupo. 55. You have no personal knowledge of that block marked yellow on the map —the Native land ? —Yes. I have been right over it from the Waikato through to Tokaanu on the western side of tin- lake. 56. What is the character of that country —is it bush, open country, or fern country ?- A great part of it nearest to the lake is covered with tussock ; hen- and there is tea-tree. On the higher part there is the cotton-plant, or mounta.in-da.isy (Crhiiisia). Nean v the ranges it is bush country. There is some very heavily timbered country. 57. Is the soil on that class of country as good as the aveiage of that block within the gieen line ? — I think about the same ; possibly less pumice. 58. You said just now thai no one except with considerable capital and fairly large areas would venture upon occupying that country '. That is my opinion. 59. Well, supposing the company proposed to carry that line down to Taupo and to acquire a large area of land, and were to spend a lot of money in improving the land, would that land, after it was improved and grassed, be suitable for occupation in small areas ? —A great part of it would be suitable in reasonably small areas. 60. What would you (-all icasonably small areas —200 acres or 2.00(1 acres ?—I should say. nothing less than 500 acres —excluding any very rich land, as swamp land. 61. Is it country, after improvement, at all capable of being used for dairying purposes ? —I should think that could only apply to very small areas indeed.

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