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APPENDICES. APPENDIX A. DATES OF SITTINGS. Monday, 30th April, 1928, to Friday, 4th May, inclusive ; Monday, 7th May, 1928, to Friday, 11th May, inclusive : Monday, 14th May, 1928, to Saturday, 19th May, inclusive ; Monday, 21st May, 1928, to Friday, 25th May, inclusive ; Monday, 28th May, 1928, to Saturday, 2nd June, inclusive ; Tuesday, sth June, 1928, to Saturday, 9th June, inclusive. Formal adjournments were made from time to time to 14th June, 1928, when the hearing was declared closed.

APPENDIX B. COPY OF LETTER. Dear Sir, —■ Magistrate's Office, Wanganui, 13th April, 1928. Re Auckland Transport Commission. I notice from the daily press that you will be representing one of the municipal authorities interested in the inquiries of the above Commission. lam still awaiting the official communication which will enable me to fix definitely the date of the hearing, but for the present it is expected that it will start on the 26th inst. lam writing now to place before you a suggestion which I make with a view to assist in the speedy and accurate recording of the evidence to be placed before the Commission. I am basing my suggestion on experience gained during an exceptionally long hearing at the Napier Harbour Commission. My suggestion is that some of the evidence be prepared beforehand in the form of typewritten statement which may, with the consent of all parties, be handed in by the witnesses. The kinds of evidence I have in mind are — (1) Statements and estimates of accounts, income and expenditure statements, and financial and statistical statements generally. It is very slow work recording such information accurately when it is given orally in answer to questions. Such evidence is always of the kind that a witness requires to bring with him in the form of a note for the purpose of refreshing his memory, and it is only a step further to prepare and put in a typewritten statement. It is seldom that there can be tendered, on this procedure applied to such evidence, any of the objections which would obtain if it were applied to ordinary evidence. If, however, it should appear objectionable in any particular case, the more orthodox method could be adopted in that case. Copies of these typewritten statements could be supplied to other counsel at some agreed time before they are actually tendered as evidence, and this will tend to facilitate the work of cross-examination. (2) Reports and history of past proceedings and developments. These may also in many cases, in an inquiry such as we are about to embark upon, be committed to typewriting in advance, and much time be saved with no detriment to the quality of the evidence. The qualifications set out above would apply in this case also. (3) Statements of policy and statements of expert opinion. Under this heading also I think it is desirable to save time as I have suggested. Here perhaps there will be more weight to possible objections that it is not orthodox oral evidence, but it must be remembered that the cross-examination will be apt to be more efficient, and should prove a sufficient test of the spontaneity of the witness's expressions of opinion and policy. If my suggestion is adopted I would make a further suggestion that a uniform size of paper, with uniformity in the size of type page, so that the sheets can be bound in in the official copies. On this and other matters of detail a conference would probably be useful. I propose as early as possible after I arrive in Auckland to seek a conference with counsel engaged at the inquiry to discuss matters that may facilitate our work. I am forwarding this suggestion to you now, as it may be possible and convenient for you to commence in good time the preparation of some statements that you may desire to put in, in conformity with my suggestion. A copy of this letter is this day despatched to each of the gentlemen whose name appears below. Yours faithfully, John S. Barton, Chairman. To —J. 0. Stanton, Esq. ;V. R. Meredith, Esq. ;E. H. Northcroft, Esq. ;H. M. Rogerson, Esq. ; J. M. Melville, Esq.

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