19

L—la.

W. J. A. MCGREGOR

William James Annan McGregob examined. (No. 11.) 1. The ('hairman. \ What are you \- A sheep-farmer at Mount Linton, Southland. 2. Mr. Payne.] In giving evidence Mr. Armstead said you would materially benefit if this proposed railway were made '. I would benefit perhaps with other settlers to a certain extent. At present we have been going to the bad on account of the way the roads have been wiped out and the heavy rates we have tad to pay to endeavour to keep up impossible roads. 3. What amount of land do you own ] Over I n.o< in acres. Some of it is good land, perhaps 2,000 acres, and a lot of it is rough country. 4. What do you value it at now i Some of it at aboul H<s. an acre and some of it at about £8 or £10 an acre. 5. Do yiui consider that would lie improved by the railway \ Not more than what it is now. It is sheep-country. (i. You have done nothing in the way of cutting up at present I Only one block 1 have offered for sale a Mock of 80(1 acres. 7. What did you offer that at '. £8 an acre. 8. Would you get more if the railway went through \ No, Ido not think so. 9. You do not anticipate any greal advance ?— No, no great improvement from it. lam one of those interested in a coal company. 1 helped to take up some land in the first instance to encourage the railway to come in. and we liuilt up hopes which proved to lie false. 10. Mr. Robertson.] What is the company? It is a company registered as the Linton Coal < !ompany. 11. Mr. Payne.] Would you lie in favour of adopting a betterment plan whereby you would pass over to tin Crown half the increased value of the land which might be created by the putting-in of the railway ?- We are offering to pay rates on our land if this railway is put in and it does not pay. 12. linn. Mr. Fisher.] You have offered to put the Government in a position so that they will not be a loser ? —Yes. 13. Are you willing to sell your land to the Crown '. Yes, at a price. 1 have been down in Southland for nine years. I started first as a Cheviot settler, and I have been pioneering all my days and have a family. lam struggling along, but I would sell to the Government or anybody else who came along. 14. Would you lie prepared to make aii upset price before bhe railway was put in '. Yes. 10. You have 10,000 acres, and it varies in value from l()s. to £8 and £10 per acre, but somewhere about the property there is a blister ' Yes. there is. Ido not think there are many of us in Southland without one. 16. Is the land freehold ?- No. some of it is Crown leasehold. There are 17,000 acres of pastoral land, and all Crown land. 17. Mr. Robertson.] The Linton Coal Company is not the name of the syndicate that has the coal leases '. No. the Lmtoii Coal Company has simply the one lease. We have an area of 200 acres on the coal reserve m the Wairaki Survey District. 18. That is one of the coal companies that would be interested in the line going through \ — Yes. There are three companies there that the railway would serve. 19. Mr. Payne.] How many individuals arc interested I There may be several more settlers. It is leasehold country, and the settlers hold rights from the Land Board to mine the coal for household purposes. 20. How many others would be affected by this railway if the coal was made available for sale '. —Perhaps another three or four. 21. Mr. Robertson.] What are the size of youT flocks now on the land ?—I carry between eight thousand and ten thousand sheep. 22. Mr. /'iii/iir. I The railway would serve you in connection with the carriage of your wool and produce '. Yes, as far as the wool is concerned. There would be a decrease in our rates to the County Councils, and we would have better roads. It is shameful how the Government grants are mopped up in that part to keep the roads passable. lam one of those who signed the Order in Council to get this railway, as I thought it would do some good, but 1 can see that this private line is not worth a tinker s curse to the settlers in our quarter. The only prejudice to the line is the competition of a good class of coal coming into the market. r 23. Mr. Armstead.] In the first instance you were very anxious that this line should go in?— Yes, because we were under false hopes. 24. Why were you under false hopes '. Because the railway neve* went to Ohai. • 25. It was not said in the first instance that it was going to Ohai ? —But we were led to believe it was going there. 26. You know it has taken them four years to get it to where it is with hard work ?— I doubt it very much. 27. You said you had two of the worst seasons that have been experienced ?— -We had two bad seasons, but you could have had the railway in before those two seasons came along. 28. Do you know you had the biggest flood you ever had in that district ?-—Yes, one of the big floods. 29. Would you be surprised to know that after we had taken the level of the line and after submitting it to the Government, who assured us that no floods would touch it, we raised the level 18 in. ?—Only here and there. 30. You say thai this line would not benefit your land very much ?- -Not very much. 31. How much an acre in value do you think it would put on to your land ?- I have not the slightest idea. There is not much of my land adjoining the railway. My homestead would be five miles off the proposed railway.