(J. H. CrOTIIARD. i

151

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To Mr. Hudson: In addition to opening up the fields along the river, the construction of the railway would benefit Reefton. . To Mr. Hornsby: The construction of the railway ceased about 1912 about two years prior to the beginning of the war. Practically no work had been done on the line since. ' £100 was put on the estimates last, year. To Mr. Sidey: No reason was given for stopping the work. The work stopped about the time there was a change of Government, Indignation meetings were held, but they had no effect, To Mr. Graigie: Pending the completion of the line, applications have been made for leases and for protection—they are waiting for the Government to allow them to open up these fields. If the line were completed private enterprise would go ahead. As far as the coalfields are concerned, what is required at present is the railway. The members of the Committee must have noticed how easily the coal could be mined. Miles of the railway practically run over a coalfield. There would be no difficulty in taking the coal over the river. To the Chairman: I do not know how the use of bituminous coal for household purposes could be stopped. The Government use it on their railways. H could be conserved for steamproducing. Instead of the Government importing Newcastle coal for the railways this coal could be used. Tf the railway were completed it would mean that household coal would become cheaper, and the other coal would then only be used for the purpose for which it is most, valuable. No use is being made of the partially constructed line towards Inangahua. There are soiqe six or seven miles of completed line. It was under the railway system for running purposes, and stations were built, There are only three or four men on Hie line looking after it. D. J. Williams examined. T shall have to be brief. It will perhaps be better for me to I ouch on one or two points at most. There is one reason that warrants the railway being completed at once, if everything else is suspended, and that is from a defence point of view. If during the peace negotiations we should get into trouble with Japan, any navy in these sens would be dependent on this coal. Tf the railway were completed through to Christchurch via Otira Hie coal could be taken right through to Lyttelton. So the completion of the railway is important from a defence point of view. Then there is another point : T take it that an effort should be made to make every community self-supporting. Westport wants to be self-supporting. Under the present conditions people are leaving it. and if this should continue the place will become bankrupt. Tlip easiest solution or remedy for that is the construction of this railway; and, incidentally, the construction of the line will employ labour in the meantime. Westport must be nursed and helped over a crisis. This crisis has arisen through the harbour-works being suspended. A large amount of money was borrowed and expended on construction-works-—something like two millions. Tt is (o the interest of the Government to sec that this community is carried over that depression, even at a cost to themselves; but that can be done without cost hv the completion of Hie railway. The railway will be one of the best paying lines in the Dominion when it is completed. The Railway League is working to put the proposal before the Government by the Harbour Board to borrow money. and perhaps the Government would give the Board endowments, and then the Board would construct it. The Government have let the work in little jobs. The work cannot satisfactorily- be carried out on such lines. A tender should be let for the completion of Ihe whole line. Tt is a two-years job. Tf carried out in that way it would cost half what it would under the method recently adopted. We propose to submit proposals, with estimates of local engineers, of what the whole work could be put through at. The moment you talk coal to the Government they ask; Where are the men? That is a difficulty. But that difficulty is only n temnorarv one. and the railway has to be put through before the shortage of miners will be felt. Experts and others interested are satisfied that the miners will ooon lie again in New Zealand, and. incidentally, they will see to it that they get the men out, because the conditions will be better here than at Home. The coal mi the river can be mined at half Hie man-labour per ton as compared with the present mines. The Westnort Coal Compnnv's mines are big mines. Tncidentallv the Government and the oountrv will have to take into consideration Hie social condition of the miners. The miners are living under mich conditions that it is a wonder that you have any miners at all. The miners of New Zealand have got into bad repute by neonle who do not know them. They have their good points, and they are eounl to any other men : but they have to go to isolated places, and their condition* are such as to cause them to drift into slovenliness ; they are put into a hovel to live, and education for the children is difficult to get. A remedy may be Hie nationalization of the mines. The social condition of the neople is the first consideration, and that will be a big solution of the difficulty in regard to the shortage of men. To Mr. Forbes: T know the local conditions, but T cannot speak as to the condition* at the Stale mine. T do not think the Government is grappling with the nuestion of the State mine in a proner manner: their only consideration, apparently. i« to comnete with other mines. As to the nationalization of Hie mines, the first consideration will be the social condition of the miners -that they should live under conditions fit for human beincs to I've under. T think you will o'ot better returns from the men. Tf you par the men more wages and five them better conditions yon will be able to sell the coal iust as cheap a--' it Is to-d-iv. n/nd nerhaps cheaner. and yon will be dealing with a hannv neople, and practically inns! of the I'ibour unrest in that particular brunch of it will be wined rifrht out. To Mr: Sideu: To oarrv out the line properly renuirps cm'tnl and the nooessnrv moehinorv. T think this particular job does not lend itself to co-operative labour. The initial cost of the maehinerv is a consideration.