KAURI-GUM INDUSTRY INQUIRY COMMISSION (REPORT OF THE).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1893 Session I, H-24

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1893. NEW ZEALAND.

KAURI-GUM INDUSTRY INQUIRY COMMISSION (REPORT OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency the Governor. May it please your Excellency,— In compliance with your Excellency's Commission dated the 23rd May ultimo, directing us to inquire and. report upon the state of the kauri-gum fields north of the City of Auckland, we have completed to the best of our ability the inquiry so directed, and have now the honour to report to your Excellency the result of our investigations. In pursuance of these inquiries we have held numerous sittings, both at Auckland and at many centres upon the gumfields, for the purpose of taking the evidence of persons conversant with the gum industry, and have for that purpose travelled over a large part of the island to the north of Auckland. We have visited the principal places on the shores of the Kaipara waters, and have been as far north as Parengarenga, to the south of which point we have travelled overland by two different routes between the Hokianga waters and the East Coast, holding sittings at a large number of places upon those routes. The course which we have pursued, and the witnesses whom we have examined, will be seen from the records accompanying this report; but it may here be stated that we have held forty sittings, and examined one hundred and fifty-seven witnesses, besides numerous persons, gum-diggers and others, who were present at many of our sittings, and with whom we had much general conversation and discussion after they had heard the evidence formally given, and in which they generally concurred. The season of the year at which we were called upon to institute this inquiry has put considerable difficulties in our way. The constructions which in the North are called roads, are never very easy to travel over in the winter, but in the present year, owing to the unprecedented continuance of wet weather, they are in a much worse condition than has ever before been known. A difficulty of another kind has arisen out of the wide and general character of the matters into which we had to inquire. We have had to find out for ourselves what were the particular matters affecting for good or ill the state of the kauri-gum fields, what the different views deserving consideration regarding those matters, and who were the witnesses who could give us the best information. In thus casting about for evidence, it has been a necessary consequence that we have sometimes tried to elicit information where none of any value could be obtained; that a great many things have been said which perhaps were hardly worth saying; and a great many more which were only worth saying once have been many times repeated. But we could scarcely have carried out our Commission in any other way, and we cannot regard the time thus taken up as wasted, because out of the mass of apparently common-place, if not worthless statements, there has frequently emerged some fact or suggestion well worth following up further, and from which useful or interesting inferences might be deduced. We propose now following the indication given by the preamble to our Commission, to make some general remarks upon the " State of the kauri-gum fields to the north of the City of Auckland, and the working of such gumfields, whether situate on private lands, Crown lands, or Native lands." The total area of land known as gumfields in the district referred to is 724,000 acres, and of this area 380,000 acres are Crown lands; 150,000 acres Native lands which have not passed the Native Land Court; and 194,000 acres private lands, whether held by Natives or Europeans. This area has, of course, gradually extended itself to its present dimensions concurrently with the greatdevelopment of the industry which has taken place since its small beginnings some fifty years ago. We have evidence that in or about 1836 some kauri-gum was shipped from Hokianga to England ; but this led to nothing, owing to the ignorance prevailing in England about the qualities of kauri-gum. Previous to the year 1845 a small consignment was shipped from Parengarenga to America. In the years 1847 to 1849 further attempts were made to introduce the article into the English market, and we are told of a consignment of 20 tons which was pronounced by experts in England to be worthless, and was thrown into the Thames. In 1847 and 1848, and even up to 1853, gum was bought in New Zealand at £5 a ton; but shortly after that time, at all events by the year 1856, the export trade was fully established, as will be seen by a return appended to this report, which shows the quantities exported, with their values, for the years from 1856 to 1892 inclusive. This return contains in itself a history of the development and progress of the gum I—H. 24.

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industry, and the facts which it discloses are sufficiently remarkable. The figures show that for a period of nearly forty years the quantity of the article exported and the prices obtained for it have, notwithstanding many and large fluctuations, constantly increased, until from a total of 1,440 tons in the year 1856, at a value of £13 per ton, a total of between 8,000 and 9,000 tons was reached in the year 1892, at a value of £46 10s. to £73 10s. per ton—or, say, an average of £58 10s. per ton, being an increase six-fold in quantity and four-and-a-half-fold in price. These facts point to a very largely increased demand in Europe and America, which has been able to absorb a constantly increasing quantity of the article at a higher price, and to a great increase in the number of diggers on the gumfields, induced by the higher price commanded by the product. The question of course arises, How long and to what extent is this expansion in the demand, the supply, and the price of the article likely to continue ? It is certain that the gum is now only obtained with much more labour than was the case some years ago. In the early days, gum of fine quality was readily found in large lumps, in many cases scarcely needing the use of the short spike set on a wooden handle which used to do duty for a spear. But as this "bold" gum became scarcer, and the article had to be searched for at a greater depth, the long spears of later times came into use ; and now the scarcity of the gum has become such that, except in swampy ground, the use of the spear seems to be almost abandoned, and the diggers are beginning to find it necessary to dig in a more systematic manner, paddocking out the ground as they go, so as once for all to exhaust its contents. The gum, moreover, which is -now obtained is very much smaller in size than formerly, and pieces which, as the witnesses say, would not formerly " have been looked at" are now brought to market. By a lax mode of speaking this diminution in size of the pieces is often spoken of as a deterioration in quality. This is misleading. The small pieces, presenting a larger surface, have more w r aste to get rid of, but the inner part is in no way deteriorated in quality. A sack of small gum is only inferior to a sack of "bold" because it contains less good gum; but the good gum is as good as ever it was. This is the general testimony of the witnesses, and was specially asserted by one who had long been a varnish-maker in London ; but' on' the 'other hand we are told by one gentlemen that the " bold " gum is urgently asked for by American varnish-makers, who say that it melts lighter in colour than the small. Upon these facts, either of two diverse events might conceivably happen : (1.) The supply of gum may diminish, which would naturally be attended by a rise in price. (2.) The output might for some time be largely increased by a great influx of diggers, or by new deposits of gum being found and worked, in which case the price would probably fall. But this part of the subject will receive further consideration when we come to the question of the probability of a large influx of diggers. The probable duration of the gum industry is a question on which the most diverse opinions are expressed, some giving it a very short date, and others taking the more optimistic view that the gumfields will not be exhausted in the lifetime of any young man now living. Little can be said on this point beyond guesswork ; but the indications which we have already described are positive reasons for expecting that at no very distant date, unless new ground is opened, there may be a very decided falling-off in the quantity of gum produced, or that this result will only be averted by the harder toil of a larger number of men, who will, of course, have to be content with smaller earnings. With regard to available new ground we have no definite evidence to justify an opinion, but there is good reason to think that there are below the gum now being worked deeper layers, the result of older deposits, and that in many of the known swamps there exists a much larger quantity of gum than has ever been taken out of them. If this gum, as seems to be the case, is lying among and under the timber which is the remnant of an old kauri-forest, it cannot be got at by the spear or hook, or in any way but by the drainage of the swamps. Perhaps this may hereafter be done by the co-operation of the diggers, if by means of any regulations hereafter to be made the area so drained could be conserved to the use of those who combine to do the work, in the same manner as is done on goldfields. Closely connected with the question of the probable duration of the gum itself is that relating to its position considered as an article of commerce. The extraordinary increase in the price, notwithstanding a steadily increasing supply, has been already mentioned, and it may safely be said that such an expansion of the trade would have appeared very unlikely to a dealer of thirty years ago. It would no doubt be hazardous to predict that the price will go on increasing in the future as it has done in the past, and, on the other hand, it would be premature to regard a sudden fall in the price, such as has occurred since our inquiry was set on foot, as necessarily indicating a permanent retrogression of the demand. The elements by a consideration of which such a question must be determined are the demand for the articles in the preparation of which kauri-gum is now used, chiefly varnishes of a good quality, and the probability of any other gum-resin competing seriously with kauri in the market. In this connection we think that some particulars of the gums used in varnish-making may be of interest. For these we avail ourselves of a work published in 1891 by Mr. Ingham Clarke, E.L.S. and F.E.G.S., an eminent London varnish-maker. He says : — "The total annual imports of varnish-gums into England, a part of which is re-exported, amount to about 4,000 tons, nearly two-thirds being represented by the kauri-gum of New Zealand. About 400 tons came from our West African colony of Sierra Leone; 400 or 500 tons from the Philippine and adjacent islands (usually known as Manila gum), and the remainder from various parts of the world. " The ' gum anime,' exported from Zanzibar, is a high-class gum, but very limited in quantity, and is worth in London from £200 to £350 per ton. The Manila gums are so like the kauri-gum in appearance that it is almost impossible at sight to distinguish them, the greatest adepts being able to do so by the sense of smell only. The Manila gums have all some tricky characteristic, which causes trouble to manufacturers even months after the varnishes are made. Some qualities

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are used in the manufacture of certain grades of ordinary varnishes. Others are unfit for use in the manufacture of oil-varnishes. " The Damar gums are unsuitable for oil-varnishes, being only employed in the manufacture of spirit varnishes, and do not come at all into competition with kauri-gum. " Kauri-gum commands a supremacy in the market. There is, however, a shadow to this pleasant picture, for the excessive production, stimulated by the ever-increasing demand, is, without doubt, rapidly exhausting the known sources of the supply. If it were not akin to heresy in these days to make such a proposition, one would be inclined to suggest that the New Zealand colonists should place an export-tax on the gum. No other gum could take its place, from a peculiarity which it possesses (entirely its own) of assimilating with oil more rapidly, and at an easier temperature than any other gum. The Manila gums, it is true, enter largely into competition with kauri; but, as we have already stated, they are treacherous in use, and mostly contain strong acids and other objectionable substances, thereby upsetting all theory and practice, and resulting often in injury to the manufactured article, and consequent regret to those who use them. " Kauri-gum is extensively employed by the leading manufacturers in every country where varnish is made. This universal favour we by no means attribute to the superior results to be obtained by its use, but rather to the fact that it is easier to manipulate—that is, it unites with linseed oil quicker, and at a lower temperature, than any other gum. It is probable that the essential oil it contains acts in the fusing process as a solvent, hence, less heat being necessary, carbonisation is minimised, and a relatively paler varnish is the product." This opinion of the high reputation and clear supremacy of kauri-gum for varnish purposes is confirmed both by the statistical return referred to at page 4, and by the bulk of the evidence which we have taken. The latter goes to show that, so long as kauri-gum can be supplied in the open market, the samples of it which are of good ordinary quality have little to fear, either from the scant supplies of the costly Zanzibar (gum anime), or from the various sorts of copal, Manila, New Caledonian, &c, which, even when so similar in appearance to kauri as to be distinguishable only by the smell, are worth only one-half or one-third of the value of the latter. We have had the evidence of two professional varnish-makers, who both assert the very decided superiority of kauri, either in respect of its qualities of melting at a lower temperature, or in other ways adapting itself to the purposes of the manufacturer, as well as in the excellence of the varnish produced from it. But it may be different with regard to the inferior qualities of kauri. We have had evidence to show that there may be reason to apprehend a successful competition with these grades on the part of Manila or other gums. In support of this opinion some facts have been alleged. One witness, who has been already quoted, and who is in direct communication with the varnish trade in America, says that in that country " Manila is now competing and running the lower grades of kauri out of the market;" but we have had no corroboration of this statement from any other source. Another witness, who may be deemed an authority on the continental markets of Europe, says that in those markets Manila is, so far as the lower classes of varnish are concerned, a formidable rival to kauri, which, however, has never found its way in any large quantities to the German market. The same witness states that further competition is threatened by a new gum from Madagascar, and he has been advised that a sample of that gum, of a quality corresponding to No. 1 rescraped kauri, has realised a price exceeding the latter by 10s. a hundredweight—that is to say, £8 10s. as against £8 for the kauri. But this high price would seem to place the gum referred to more in the position of Zanzibar than of a formidable rival to kauri. These facts and statements will require consideration in connection with the proposal lately much discussed and ventilated —to impose an export duty on kauri-gum, in which connection we shall have occasion to refer to them again. From the consideration of the trade, as it concerns the shipper and the foreign consumer, we come to that of the industry as concerning the guindigger himself, as well as the storekeeper and the settler—the classes with whom he comes more immediately into contact. Appended to this report will be found a statement of the total number of diggers, so far as we hav6 been able to ascertain it; and, if our information is correct, it will appear that a somewhat excessive estimate of this item has been made in many quarters. These men dig gum either upon Crown lands, or Native lands, or lands belonging to private owners. For the privilege of digging upon Crown lands the regulation license fee is 55., and in the case of State forests 10s.; but the former fee has practically fallen into disuse, the proceeds not being adequate to the cost and difficulty of collecting it under the present system. In connection with this subject we observe that the Surveyor-General, in his annual report (page 6), speaks of the present system of gum licenses as unsatisfactory, and he awaits some recommendations from us on this subject, which will be again referred to. It may, however, be here mentioned that the total license-fees collected for the year ending the 31st March, 1893, was only £83 10s. Upon much private land belonging to absentee owners digging goes on without let or hindrance, and with a total disregard of the rights of property; but, upon most of the lands in the hands of owners other than the Crown, digging is only allowed upon certain conditions, on payment of a certain sum, or upon compliance with both these alternatives. These payments and conditions vary upon different leases held by different owners. In some cases there is a money payment for license to dig, and the digger is not bound by any condition as to where he shall take his gum for sale ; in others he is required to sell his gum to the owner of the land; and sometimes he has to sign an agreement by which he acknowledges himself to be only a bailee of the gum that he has dug, which is equivalent to an admission that the act of selling it elsewhere would amount to larceny. A copy of the various agreements which are thus made will be found in the Appendix to the evidence; and a synopsis of the principal stipulations will be appended to this report. It is, of course, manifest that the digger who works on private land subject to these conditions is not in the same position of freedom as the man who gets his gum -on Crown land. The latter can take the product wherever he thinks he will get the best price for it; the former is practically

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bound to the owner or lessee of the land, whether by special agreement to that effect, or by the difficulty in getting his gum conveyed elsewhere, in consequence of the owner or lessee being either by circumstances or express stipulation the only person who carts upon the ground. This state of things suggests the possibility of the owner of the land containing the gum taking advantage of the position in which he is placed to give the digger too little for his gum, and charge him too much for his stores. Accordingly, we have met with complaints upon this head, and the term " truck system " has been used in connection with these dealings ; but such complaints have been much less prevalent than we expected. It does not follow as a result of the conditions above described that the storekeeper will take advantage of the digger. The value of gum is pretty well known to diggers of experience; and if they found that they were systematically receiving much less than that value they would soon begin to consider the prospects offered by some other field, unless there were some compensations to induce them to remain. The same may be said of the price of stores, which will vary according to the distance the goods have to be carted, and other circumstances. Included in the Appendix to the evidence will be found a statement of moneys paid for gum-digging during a period of three months upon the ground of a lessee against whom the strongest accusations had been made of practising the so-called truck-system. This statement shows that during the period referred to a sum of £7,589 had been paid for gum to 476 diggers, after all store bills had been satisfied. This result shows that upon this field the average payment amounted to nearly 255. per week per man after the cost of his living was paid; and this being taken at 10s. or lis., the average wages on this field would be about 355. We think it right to say that the strongest denunciations of what has been called the truck-system have not come to us direct from the diggers who may have felt its operation, but from sources which are markedly open to the suspicion of strong animus, whether personal, commercial, or political. It is always easy, where the will exists, in such matters to rake up one or two cases of apparent hardship on the one hand, or harshness on the other; but our judgment on general questions requires a much larger basis than this for its foundation. We append a statement showing the ordinary prices of provisions on the principal leased and private .lands, as well as on the open fields, and the price given for gum relatively to the prices quoted in the Auckland papers. But this last item, in consequence of the great variations in price, and some uncertainty attending the quotations, might be a little misleading, unless read with some allowance for those variations. Strictly speaking, we understand by "truck" the payment of wages in stores and provisions instead of in money. This system cannot exist on the gumfields, because there are no diggers working for wages. The digger takes from the ground the gum which is the property of another man; and it would surely be unreasonable that he should be allowed to sell it without the consent of the owner. Moreover, it is not likely that the owner of the ground would continue an arrangement of this sort if the digger systematically bought his provisions at a store competing with his own, or in which he was not interested by the reception of rent or otherwise. The lessee of the land has, in some cases, a heavy rent to pay for it (in one instance as much as £1,000); and, without direct payment of license-fees or royalty, and the profits of the store, he would not be able to keep his engagements. It may be matter for regret that such large areas of gum-land should have been permitted to fall into private hands; but, taking the facts of the case as they are, we have not met with sufficient evidence to satisfy us that the dealings between the holders of gum-lands and the diggers deserve to be designated as a "truck-system," if that term is intended to carry any opprobrious sense, or that such lessees habitually take unfair advantage of their position to defraud the diggers. Upon the whole, we are glad to report that we have found the general relations between storekeepers and diggers to be of a friendly character, and their dealings to be conducted on a satisfactory footing. At page 183* of the evidence will be found some account of a new movement amongst the Maoris in the north, who have instituted a system of co-operative stores in connection with their gum-lands. The success of this undertaking is a matter of some interest, but the particulars need not detain us here. The connexion of the gum-digging industry with the settlement of the country is one of the most important matters affecting the future of the district north of Auckland. The gum-digger generally bears the reputation of not having in him the makings of a settler; and there can be little doubt that in the majority of cases his mode of life encourages a roving disposition, and indisposes him to bind himself down to a spot of earth consisting of a few acres only. Considering the digger as a class, entirely distinct from the settler, it is obvious that much of his work is of an injurious character. He takes the gum out of the ground and goes his way, leaving the land no better for what he has done, but much more difficult for the agriculturist to deal with. But, of course, in the majority of cases, the land is not such as to tempt the agriculturist at all, and against the mischief done by the gum-digger there is not wanting matter to set off. In the first place, there is a number of instances of gum-diggers who have become settlers, and who must be regarded as having done permanent good to the country. Another important benefit derived from the gum industry is the resource which it offers to small settlers, who, when the farming work is slack, go to the gumfields to earn a little money, by which means, and by which means only, a very large number of them have been able to maintain their position and to keep their holdings. We have been astonished at the number of settlers, and sons of settlers, who thus every winter resort to the pursuit of gum-digging. No doubt, in some instances, the young men may thus be led in a direction away from agriculture rather than to it; and where, as occasionally happens, young children go out to get gum, the unsettling tendency of such a pursuit may have serious effects upon their after career. But, upon the whole, where gumdigging and agriculture have thus gone hand in hand, it has been to the advantage of settlement. A further benefit conferred upon the country by the gum industry is the unfailing resource which it has provided for those who would otherwise be unemployed, and this, not only for the

* Page of manuscript.

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strong and able-bodied, but for many who from age or infirmity could not make a living at any more settled pursuit, but who prefer the free life, even with scanty earnings, of the gum-getter to the relief offered by the Charitable Aid Board. There is no saying how many have been thus kept off the public funds, but it is certain that the saving in charitable aid expenditure must have been considerable. If gum-digging has been used as a means to settlement, it appears that the pretence of settlement has been used as a means of acquiring a gum monopoly. Complaints have been made that persons have taken up land ostensibly for settlement, and have proceeded to plough the ground so as to comply with the conditions of holding, but that the real object of this ploughing'|was merely to get the gum out, after which the holding would be forfeited, the surface gum having been taken out by the ploughing, and the surface indications by which an experienced digger judges of the prospects of finding more being obliterated by the same operation. This evil has been remedied by a recent resolution of the Land Board to the effect that no gum-land shall in future be open to selection. It may, however, be worth consideration whether, if adequate security were taken for bond fide occupation, it might not be desirable to facilitate the acquisition of a small area of ground for gum-digging in connection with a holding of cultivable land. We come now to the consideration of one way, and a very important one, in which the effect of the industry has been entirely the reverse of beneficial to settlement. The present desperate condition of the northern roads is due chiefly to the gum traffic, including" under that term the cartage of stores to the fields, as well as of gum from them. Other causes, such as, in some parts, the cartage of timber, have their share in the mischief, but the gum is chiefly responsible. In the Maori parts of the district, the surface of the ground which is supposed to indicate a line of road is reduced to a state scarcely describable, by the use of bullock drays, which, in proportion as they destroy the roads, require the services of a more numerous team of bullocks, and by this means the mischief is continually augmented. Some particulars relating to this subject may be found in various parts of the evidence; but it would be very difficult to pen any description which would enable, the state of the roads to be realised. It is sufficient to say that their condition is now such as to render nugatory any prospect for future settlement which the North might otherwise have; that it largely increases the cost of carriage, and so renders living much more onerous to the gum-digger as well as the settler ; that it wears out and destroys to a lamentable extent the livestock, to say nothing of the men engaged in the work of conveyance ; that the county authorities and Eoad Boards have no adequate means of improving it, but are obliged to leave it a permanent and hopeless impediment to the progress and prosperity of the country. We think it comes fairly within the scope and spirit of our inquiry to mention here some of the methods which have been suggested for the purpose of raising revenue sufficient to enable either the Government or local bodies to deal with this capital difficulty of the North. 1. The simple method of asking Parliament for money is, of course, one upon which we have nothing to say. Whatever there is to say upon it will, no doubt, be in due time said by the members for the districts concerned. 2. The rating of Crown and Native lands is also a proposal into the particulars of which we cannot enter. We may, however, remark that it is impossible for any one to travel in the winter through those parts of the country—usually the best parts—which are in the hands of the Maoris, without feeling a strong conviction that it is very unfair that they should contribute nothing to the maintenance of those roads which their owners have had so large a share in destroying, whilst the burden is left to fall upon the scanty and inadequate rates extracted from a few scattered and struggling settlers. 3. The erection of toll-gates has been recommended as one means of providing for road repairs. This proposal need not detain us here, the practical arguments for and against it being such as could be more adequately discussed by the County Councils. We think, however, that the suggestion is worthy of consideration, and that whatever objections may lie against the principle of toll-gates, the urgent and pressing character of the needs of the North in respect of roads must be held greatly to qualify any such objections. 4. A great deal has been said, and much controversy carried on, in relation to the proposal to put an export duty on the kauri-gum, as a means of raising revenue for road-construction and maintenance. Taking the export roughly at 8,000 tons, a duty of from £1 to £5 per ton would give a yearly revenue ranging from £8,000 to £40,000, according to the amount of the duty. A duty of £5 does not seem very high when compared with the fluctuations which frequently occur in the price of the article; but if the payment falls on the digger—which is doubted by many—it means a tax of 2s. 6d. a week upon all who get about \ cwt. of gum in that time. Upon this question of the incidence of the tax, as well as its probable effect on the trade, very different opinions are entertained. The advocates of the tax admit that the imposition of an export duty on any article has generally been regarded as unwise. But they say when a country is practically the sole producer of any article, there appears no valid reason why that country should not levy an export duty upon the article in question. An example in point is, they consider, presented by Chili, which country produces by far the larger proportion of nitrates (having exported in 1890, no less than 1,028,000 tons) upon which the Chilian Government levies a heavy export duty, which contributes a very large sum towards the cost of Government. New Zealand, they consider, is in a very similar position with regard to its product and export of kauri-gum, with which it has been shown that no other gum has been able to compete. When, it is argued, an article like kaurigum advances or recedes as much as £10 at a single auction-sale, an export duty of, say, £3 per ton will in no way affect its consumption. In this connection it is pointed out that the kauri-gum fields are in process of rapid exhaustion, and that though this product to the value of £6,000,000 has been dug from the soil and exported, it has conferred comparatively little permanent benefit on the colony in the form either of roads or of settlement on the land. For these reasons, and in view of the languishing state of settlement in the northern districts, mostly arising from the want of roads,

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it is urged that a case has been made out for the imposition of an export duty, say of £3 per ton, by which means, if the money is spent strictly on the object intended, it is alleged that a metalled road might in a reasonable time be made from Warkworth to Awanui, with branches, also metalled, wherever most required. Lastly, it is alleged that not only would settlement be thus promoted, but that the tax, even if paid by the digger, would be refunded to him in the increased cheapness of carriage, by which the price paid for his stores would be less, and that received for his gum greater. But these statements and arguments are more or less called in question by those who are adverse to the tax. It is doubted whether the digger, supposing the tax to fall on him, will be recouped to the extent above supposed by the improvement in the roads. Many important and now almost impassable gum-tracks are for many miles not coincident with main county roads; and unless the funds were adequate to the maintenance of all these the benefit would be very incomplete. It is further objected that the tax would operate not only on gum belonging to the Crown, but also on that which is the property of private owners. It is also considered by them that, at all events, the first incidence of the tax will be borne by the digger, and that this is likely to have the effect of squeezing out of the industry, and throwing upon charitable aid, a number of the weaker and less efficient diggers who now barely make a living. Again, if, as the advocates of the tax think, the extra payment can be charged to the consumer in Europe or America, its opponents apprehend that the experiment may be injurious to the trade. They consider that the lower grades of kauri are likely to be forced out of the market, and, even with regard to the higher grades, they fear that any arbitrary addition to their price in the present state of the market might encourage the use of other gums, by stimulating invention to devise means of overcoming any difficulties in manipulating them, and so perhaps enabling them to dispute the supremacy of kauri. Such is the general tenor of the arguments on each side of the question of an export duty, and there we leave the matter for the present, reserving to a later stage an express indication of the degree to which we are prepared to concur in any recommendation to be made respecting it. The last mode of raising revenue from the gum industry that has to be mentioned is that of requiring every digger to take out an annual license to dig gum, for which a certain fee should be payable, in the same way as a miner's right is issued on goldfields. The mention of goldfields suggests an analogy between the gum-digger and the alluvial golddigger—an analogy which, to a great extent, is valid, but which must not be pushed too far. Both are to a great extent, nomadic; both are engaged in a calling which has the fascination of enabling them to be their own masters, and the further charm of involving the element of speculation and uncertainty. Both afford a market to the storekeeper, and to the settler if he has any produce to sell them, and both supply only a limited proportion of their numbers who themselves become permanent settlers. But the gold-digger finds his treasure so disposed in the ground that is possible for him to mark out for himself a moderate area and to confine himself to that until all the gold in it is taken out. This is a process which necessitates various appliances, and in which, and in the operations connected with it, there is not only room but necessity for systematic co-operation ; and often for a high degree of ingenuity and intelligence. But the gum-digger, having no need of such appliances, has not felt any need of co-operation, and the nature of his pursuit enables him to do a little digging in one place to-day and a mile off to-morrow, without ever marking out any claim as his own. The significance of these differences lies in the obvious difficulty which they present to any attempt to make regulations for controlling the ordinary working of the gumfields. A man who is so loose and unattached as the gum-digger, is clearly much less amenable to regulations than one who has something to forfeit in case of nonconformity—a claim, a water-race, a dam, and perhaps some expensive machinery. Besides the general difficulty of enforcing regulations against the gum-digger, as compared with the alluvial gold-miner, there occurs the further difficulty arising from the large area of gum-land which is in private hands. The question would have to be determined whether the Government could fairly demand a fee for a license to dig gum upon private lands—a license for which the digger may have already paid a fee to the owner of the land—or whether the license is to continue as at present, applicable to Crown lands only. It is more than questionable whether this resource will ever be found practically available for raising funds at all adequate to cope with the road difficulty. But it has been suggested, and strongly maintained, that the adoption of a license-system may be made conducive to a further end than the direct raising of funds. That end is to restrict within reasonable limits the number of diggers upon the gumfields, and by this means so to control the industy as to limit the supply so far as possible within the quantity required by the varnish trade ; in which case, it is said that much more satisfactory results would follow to everyone concerned—both gum-diggers, storekeepers, and merchants. This effect, however, could scarcely be attained by the mere requirement of a license, unless the payment were unduly high; and it has therefore been suggested that the license should be issued to no one unless he has either taken up land as a settler under some one of the existing systems of tenure, or has resided a certain time, say twelve months, in the colony. This question of limiting, by some interference of law or regulation, the number of diggers engaged in digging gum, has arisen apparently in the first place from the very general apprehension that the gumfields were going to be swamped by large numbers of Austrians from Dalmatia. We have made inquiries into this subject, and have found that the total number of these Austrians in all the gumfields north of Auckland is, according to the best information we have been able to obtain, about 514, and this number includes sixty-two who have arrived in the Kaipara district since our inquiry in those parts was concluded. But the question how many more are likely to come is one upon which we have been quite unable to obtain any definite information; and we can give no answer to it. But we think it probable that the number of Austrians who come here will be governed very much by what they learn by letters from their friends of the prospects that await them. A growing

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scarcity of gum and difficulty of getting it, or a considerable reduction in price, would, we should suppose, have its natural effect in checking an influx of these people; but, it must at the same time be remarked, that the Austrians, although subject to the effect of these causes, would probably be the last class of persons on the gumfields to be affected by them. The reasons for this are such as tell altogether in favour of the personal character and qualities of these men, although the result may be injurious to the gum-digging industry, unless it be denied that an excessive supply of labourers is an evil. The testimony that we have received satisfies us that as a class the Austrians are honest, industrious, sober, and frugal. They will live on a very little rather than get into debt; but there is also evidence that when they begin to make good wages they do not by any means stint themselves in their supplies of food. It follows from these qualities that they will, in case of necessity, work longer hours, live more economically, and be content with smaller wages than the average British digger. Again, the question arises whether these men will stay in the colony and settle, or go back to their own country. The general opinion appears to be, and so far as we have been able to elicit their own views they corroborate this opinion—that they will return to their own country, taking with them any money they have made. But no sufficient inducement to settle has yet been held out to them; and we are much inclined to think that if suitable land were offered them, on which they could grow grapes, figs, olives, &c, and find a market for these products, a considerable number of them would probably be glad to settle ; and if they were to do so they would certainly be a benefit to the country. It has been said that they will not learn English; but we have ascertained that, as a rule, a very fair proportion of them learn English quite well enough to make themselves understood, and that they are not very long in doing it. We must here mention the rumour which a short time ago was widely spread, and currently believed throughout the gumfields, to the effect that these Austrians were being brought to the colony under express contract with certain lessees of gum-land, for the purpose of reducing the cost of labour. There is absolutely no foundation for such a belief ; but the belief itself may be partly accounted for by the appearance of an advertisement in a Sydney newspaper inviting diggers to come to certain gumfields in New Zealand. This advertisement was shown by properly-directed inquiries to be a purely bogus one, being apparently the work of one or two swindlers who wanted to get a few pounds out of their dupes. The whole story will be found in the Appendix to evidence, which contains all particulars relating to it. The belief that any contracts for bringing Austrians to the colony have been entered into, is, we are convinced, entirely false—to say nothing of the absurdity of supposing any sensible man to enter into such a contract with men whom he would have no practical means of binding after their arrival. In so far as these allegations are not accounted for by the appearance of the advertisement in question, they must be set down to a spirit either recklessly mischievous or deliberately malevolent. The larger part of the Austrians concerning whom we have been able to inquire seem to have come from Australia, chiefly from the Broken Hill mines. Such is the state of the question, so far as we can judge, relating to the Austrians; and if they could by any enactment be prevented from coming here, a large number of the diggers would be greatly pleased. But others, who look a little further, see and acknowledge the difficulty of making any such law to affect Austrians only, or in any way differentiating in our legislation to the prejudice of the subjects of a friendly country. This difficulty is really the origin of the proposal above described, that the license to dig should be given to none except settlers, until they have resided twelve months in the colony. This scheme, it is said, would protect the gumfields against a rush of diggers, alike from Austria, Great Britain, or Australia, and might further be expected to have some effect in promoting the settlement of the country, since the privilege of gum-digging would be given at once to the immigrant who could see his way to take up an allotment of land. This method to be of any use must of course be brought into operation over private as well as Crown lands; but, revenue not being the main object aimed at, the fee might be small, or even nominal. The objection to the scheme is of course the prohibition to the newly-arrived immigrant, whether British or foreign, of the pursuit of an industry which might keep him from want at first, and perhaps to supply him with means to become a useful settler at a later time. But how far we are agreed upon the question of a license system, and upon the form it should take, will be shown in its proper place. Whatever form of licensing system, if any, be adopted, the question of the mode of collecting the fees will have to be considered. It has been suggested, and the suggestion seems worthy of consideration, that this might be done through the agency of the storekeeper, who should be provided with a cheque-book from which to issue licenses to all who bring gum to him for sale, receiving a small commission on all he issues. Such a method as this would much facilitate matters if it could be done, and if the storekeeper were willing to incur the risk of having, in many instances, to advance the license-fee, in addition to the other outfit with which he so often has to furnish the impecunious digger. Another question would be whether the license-fees, however collected, should go to the County Councils, or to the Government, and this is closely connected with the further question, in whose hands the construction and maintenance of roads should be placed. We have had. strong expressions, although no complete consensus of opinion, that the main county roads, at all events, should be in the hands of the Government, and we think that this opinion is entitled to great weight, provided that, in carrying out road-works, the best local knowledge is always made available. In connection with this subject we must not fail to mention one striking and mischievous anomaly, which certainly ought not to be allowed to continue another year. This is, that the local bodies almost always have to spend their money on road-work in the winter months, when, it is hardly an exaggeration to say, it is almost entirely wasted. This condition of things arises—so we. are assured — from the Treasury regulations, by which it appears the local bodies cannot get

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authority to expend any money, which may have been voted for their public works, until near, or after, the expiration of the financial year on the 31st March. If the contract for the work is very long delayed the vote lapses, and so the local bodies are obliged to spend their money at a time when it cannot be spent to good purpose, unless they adopt the clumsy and unsatisfactory device which has been suggested as their only alternative, which is to insert in the contract a condition that the work is not to be begun until the spring. We think it beyond question that no consideration of departmental convenience, and no regard for the symetry of balance-sheets, ought to cause money thus to be wasted, and the welfare of the settlers to be disregarded, but that arrangements should be made by which it should become possible for the road-work always to be done in the summer. In all that has been said about the various suggestions which have been made for raising funds for the roads, it has been on all sides understood that nothing of the kind should be done unless the money so raised be faithfully devoted to the object designed. But one exception to this rule has been recommended, and we think the recommendation rests upon valid reasons. It is proposed that of whatever revenue may be raised, a certain small proportion should be set apart for the relief of those diggers who, in due course, from age, if from no other cause, must sooner or later come on the Charitable Aid funds, as well as those who, by sickness or accident, may be reduced to the same necessity. By some such provident arrangement as this a future heavy drain upon the resources of the Charitable Aid Board may be alleviated or prevented. Another suggestion which we have received is that, since the cartage of kauri-timber has had a considerable share in cutting up the roads, a certain proportion—say 10 per cent. —of the proceeds of the Government kauri-timber sales should be devoted to the maintenance of roads. We are content with recording this proposition as one which we regard as not unreasonable. We now bring to a close our general remarks upon the very large subject submitted to our consideration, and in doing so we must express our sense of the impossibility of exhausting within any reasonable time the multitudinous questions that might easily be raised within the limits of our commission. To become fully acquainted with the merits of all the questions that arise in different centres of the gum industry would require a protracted stay in a number of those centres, and a complete understanding of many matters could never be obtained by any formal taking of evidence, nor even by the few general conversations with persons of different classes which the limited time at our disposal has permitted us to hold. But though we have crowded a great deal of work into our time, and have extended that time beyond the apparent expectations of some who are interested in the conclusions at which we may arrive, we have yet been obliged to omit some places which we had fully intended and much desired to visit. But we have done as much as we could; and we believe that we have been able to place under your Excellency's notice the leading questions which concern the welfare of the population connected with the gum industry. If it should prove to be possible, without injury to any class or interest, to make the kauri-gum contribute to the permanent advancement of the country, it must be matter for regret that steps in that direction were not sooner taken, for no traveller in the north can fail to be struck with the inadequate results in the way of settlement and cultivation, of roads and bridges, which have followed so many years of an industry which has in that time obtained from the ground £6,000,000 worth of the commodity with which it has been concerned. We now proceed to answer categorically, so far as we can, the questions put to us, and to state more succinctly and definitely the conclusions to which we have come. The questions referred to are as follows :— (1.) The number of persons engaged in gum-digging, and the proportionate nationalities of the same, including Maoris. (2.) The truth or otherwise of statements that have been made, to the effect that persons of alien races are about to come to the said gumfields in large numbers. (3.) The average earnings of men digging for kauri-gum on the said gumfields. (4.) The proportion of such men working under contract, and the proportion working free from contract. (5.) To what extent the contract-system obtains as between the gum-diggers and the storekeepers who purchase the gum. (6.) The methods of payment most in use on the said fields, and the prevalence of the trucksystem. (7.) The fees paid to the Crown for digging gum, or the right to dig gum on such fields ; and (8.) To advise generally as to the system of working the said gumfields best fitted to preserve the interests of the Crown, and at the same time to promote the kauri-gum digging industry. To which we reply as follows : — (1.) North of Auckland —British, 3,453; Maoris, 1,114; settlers who dig, 353; Austrians, 514 ; other foreigners, 345 : total, 5,779. Coromandel and south of Auckland —British, 850; Maoris, 130; settlers who dig, 63; Austrians, 5; other foreigners, 70: total, 1,118. Making a total of diggers, 6,897. (For further particulars, see table attached.) (2.) Five hundred and fourteen Austrians have come to the gumfields, some from the Broken Hill mines, and some from Dalmatia; but we have not been able to obtain any satisfactory evidence of the truth of the statements referred to in the question. (See our remarks ante.) (3.) About 275. per week. (See Appendix, page 4.) (4.) If by the word " contract" is meant a contract to come to the colony and dig gum for others, we believe that no such system is or ever has been in operation ; but if the word refers to agreements made with owners or lessees of gum-lands, relating to the disposal of the gum, such agreements undoubtedly exist, and the particulars relating to them will be found in our previous remarks on the subject, and in the Appendix. The relative proportions of persons working under such agreements to the north of Auckland, and of others, we estimate to have been in May, 1893, about 2,331 of the former, and 3,448 of the latter.

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(5.) Unless the storekeeper is the owner or lessee of the ground, there is no contract system between him and the digger. Where the storekeeper is the owner or lessee the question is answered under (4). (6.) The mode of payment for gum is cash in all cases, subject to deduction for payment of stores when supplied. We have found no evidence of the truck system in the ordinary meaning of the term. (7.) The fees for the right to dig gum are ss. per annum on ordinary Crown lands, and 10s. in State forests. The total fees thus collected between 3rd September, 1888, and 30th June, 1893, amount to £748 95., particulars of which appear in the Appendix. (8.) In making the following recommendations, we regret that as to the first two our opinions are not unanimous. The extent and grounds of dissent are shown in a memorandum following this report. Subject to this qualification, our recommendations are : — First. That clauses 230 and 231 of "The Land Act, 1892," referring to the issue of gum licenses, be repealed, and that it be enacted in lieu thereof: That no person of the age of eighteen years and upwards shall in future be permitted to dig kauri-gum on any lands, whether Crown, Native, or private, without holding a license to dig gum. The annual fee for such license to be five shillings, and the same to be issued only to holders of land within the colony under any tenure, or to persons who have resided not less than one year in New Zealand. That the net proceeds of such licensefees be devoted solely to create a permanent fund for the relief of aged and worn-out gum-diggers. The object of imposing this license-fee is fourfold: (1.) It will have the effect of preventing the gumfields from being rushed by a sudden influx of people, whose operations as diggers would tend to the premature exhaustion of the gumfields. (2.) It will restrict the output of gum, and so prevent the violent disturbances of the market which now so frequently occur. (3.) It will give relief to the local bodies in their charitable-aid expenditure ; and lastly (4.) It will establish a fund for the support of worn-out diggers, to the benefit of which they will be entitled by virtue of having created it by their own contributions, which does away entirely with the humiliating sense of being the recipients of charitable aid. Second. That an export duty of £3 per ton be levied on all kauri-gum shipped from the colony, and that the total proceeds from such export duty shall be devoted exclusively to the construction, metalling, and maintaining the Great North Eoad and its necessary branches, and that such road-works shall be under the control of the Government. The revenue derivable, on the basis of the export of kauri-gum in 1892 (8,400 tons), would realise about £25,000 per annum. If the gumfields, which ten years ago were spoken of as worked-out, and which to-day yield nearly twice as much gum as they yielded then, last but another ten years, the roads which can be constructed from this export duty will be such as to insure permanent settlement on most of the good lands to the north of Auckland, and which cannot possibly be occupied without such roads. Third. Our attention has been called to the damage done to the forests by digging for gum in them. There is no doubt that the gum-digger, if he finds the root of a tree in his way, will not hesitate to cut it through, quite regardless of the consequences to the tree. We think there can be no reasonable doubt that this practice must in time cause greater injury to the forests than can be compensated for by any benefit obtained; and we therefore recommend that the State forests should be altogether closed against gum-digging, which term, of course, does not include the. practice of procuring gum from the branches of the standing trees. Fourth. We have already incidentally mentioned the practice of ploughing for gum upon lands taken up either truly or only ostensibly for settlement. But the same thing has been done upon the open gumfields, and has caused loud complaint, both by reason of the unfair advantage which it gives the person who practises it over the digger whose only implement is his spade, and. because it obliterates the surface indications, as we have already explained. Fifth. It has been stated that a danger exists of the perpetration of a fraud which would prove very injurious to the kauri-gum trade. This is the admixture with kauri-gum of New Caledonian, which, although an inferior gum to kauri—being a variety of Manila—yet so much resembles the superior kind that we are assured that a sample of it worth only £2 might be taken for kauri worth £8. We understand that this matter has already formed the subject of a correspondence between the New Zealand Government and the Agent-General. To obviate this danger we indorse the suggestion of the witness who called our attention to it —that a very heavy import duty should be put upon New Caledonian gum, or any other sort likely to be brought to New Zealand for the fraudulent purposes above indicated. Sixth. We have already referred to this subject, and we only introduce it here for the sake of perspicuity. A strong feeling exists among the settlers on the subject, in the reasonableness of which we fully concur, and we are glad to find that the question is already receiving the attention of the Legislature. Seventh. It is unnecessary to add anything to our previous remarks on this subject. In now submitting our report to your Excellency, we desire to record our thanks to the numerous persons who have done what they could to facilitate our inquiry. Our best acknowledgments are due to those who have so readily responded to our invitations to attend our sittings, and who have given us so much evidence and so many pertinent suggestions, and particularly to those who have taken much trouble to compile for us valuable information and statistics. The officers and men of the Police Department have rendered us the most prompt and efficient services; and wherever we have been we have met with a universal desire to give us all possible advice and assistance. We have the honour to be, your Excellency's most obedient servants, J. Giles, Chairman. J. C. Firth. Gerhard Mueller. 2—H. 24.

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Memorandum. I have here to express briefly how far, and for what reasons, I am obliged to withhold my assent to the first two of the recommendations above made. 1. Whilst allowing much weight to many of the arguments in favour of an export duty, and whilst keenly sensible of the pressing need of funds from some source for road-construction in the North, I am yet disposed to assign more weight than my colleagues to the objections urged; and in the present state of the kauri-gum trade I do not see my way to advocate an export-tax on the commodity. 2. I must very emphatically express my dissent from the proposal to debar immigrants to the colony,—especially our British and colonial fellow-subjects,—from access to the gumfields until they have been twelve months in the country or have acquired land. It is difficult to say to what length such a principle, if once admitted, may be carried, —how far it may be extended to other industries, or what reprisals it may provoke in other countries. But, not to dwell upon these general objections, it appears to me a very questionable policy to introduce a regulation which may have the effect of compelling newly-arrived immigrants to spend their capital at the outset—or perhaps to have recourse to our charitable aid funds —instead of keeping open to them every channel through which an honest living may be earned. I also dissent from the proposal to make a license necessary for digging upon private lands, believing that this is a matter which ought to be left entirely to the landowner and the intending digger to settle by agreement between themselves. My own recommendation is that, notwithstanding the greater difficulty of enforcing regulations on gumfields than on goldfields, which has been already pointed out, and the unsatisfactory results hitherto attained in collecting fees for digging on Crown land, the attempt should not be abandoned. Nothing can be more reasonable than the requirement that persons who desire to remove a valuable product from Crown lands should pay a moderate fee for the privilege ; and we see that the diggers do pay as much as £4 a year for digging on some private lands. I believe that 40s. a year-would -be a tolerable impost if it were allowed to be paid quarterly, which would also meet the case of those who only dig occasionally. The fees might be paid to and the licenses issued by postmasters, Clerks to Eesident Magistrates' Courts, County clerks, and storekeepers; and the Chairman of a County Council should be authorised to remit payment wholly or in part where hardship would otherwise be caused. The money should be devoted to road-making, with a certain deduction for charitable insurance, as before explained. J. Giles.

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APPENDIX.

Area of Gumfields (very roughly estimated).

North of Auckland. 380,000 acres | 74,000 acres | 120,000 acres | 150,000 acres Total, 724,000 acres. South of Auckland. 35,000 acres | 9,000 acres | 11,000 acres | 9,000 acres Total, 64,000 acres.—This area does not include about 100,000 acres of forest land lying between Hikutaia and Mercury Bay. ' Grand total, 788,000 acres.

Number and Nationalities of Gum-diggers.

* The numerical totals of Maoris and settlers are greater than those above- given, but they have been reduced to what we believe to be their equivalent in able-bodied men working full time. These classes only work during half the year; and, in the case of the Maoris, women and children preponderate. We have reduced the number of settlers to one-half, and the Maoris to two-fifths.

Synopsis of Peincipal Conditions in Agbeements for Gum-digging on Leased or Private Lands. 1. Mitchelson Brothers. —No payment for digging. The digger is only a bailee of the gum for the firm until it is delivered at their store. The firm has the right to fix the quality and price of the gum, but is bound to pay the fair and reasonable value. The digger to leave the land on receiving forty-eight hours' notice. Number of diggers. 436, exclusive of Maoris. 2. Samuel Bawnsley. —One pound per annum for license to dig, which goes to the Native owners, and a royalty of Is. per cwt., which is deducted by the lessee from the price of the gum. The digger is bound to sell the gum to the lessee (who is strictly only agent for the Native owners). Number of diggers, other than Maoris, 90 to 100. 3. A. E. Harding. —License-fee, £1 for three months. The digger is restrained from carting gum or other goods, or selling them on the field. Upon breach of conditions he is to leave upon forty-eight hours' notice. Number of diggers, 170. 4. Molesivorth and Saies. —No payment for digging. The gum is the property of the firm, and is to be sold to no one else, but the digger is entitled to receive for it the fair market price. Number of diggers, 70, besides 330 Maoris.

Eabnings of Gum-diggees. We have estimated this, in answer to question 5, at £1 75., which we think is a fair deduction from the general evidence given. The result may be approximately checked as follows : If the output of gum for 1892 be taken as 8,404 tons, and the number of diggers at 6,897, the average per man per annum would be about If tons. This, at the above rate of wages, would give a value of about £56 per ton for the gum exported. Allowing a small reduction in this value for whatever quantity may be used in the colony, there is nothing in this result, which can only be regarded as approximate, to necessitate an alteration of our estimate. It must, of course, be remembered that the price of kauri-gum has now seriously declined.

Crown Land. Land Disposed of by Crown. Land Passed Native Land Court. Land not Passed Native Land Court.

North of Auckland. Coromandel and Waikato. ' British— Married Single 1,080 2,373 Maoris* Settlers who dig* Austrians— Married Single 17 497 3,453 1,114 353 850 130 63 514 345 5 70 Other foreigners 5,779 1,118 Total 6, 197

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Statement of Prevailing Peices of Stores and Cost of Living on Gumfields. Floue, 13s. to 17s. per hundredweight; tea, 2s. to 3s. per pound; sugar, 4d. to sd. per pound; tinned meat, Is. 4d. per two-pound tin; fresh meat, 4fd. per pound. This applies alike to Crown and private lands. The variations in price depend partly on quality and partly on facilities of conveyance. Cost of living: Generally 10s. to 12s. weekly.

Price of Gum. In many instances we have found that the price given by the storekeepers for gum was as high as the Auckland quotations. This may be in part explained by the practice of picking the gum after buying it, by which means the storekeeper can make a profit on the better qualities. But the more usual custom seems to be to give 2s. less than the Auckland prices.

Statement of Gum License-fees collected for Digging on Crown Lands. £ s. d. To 30th September, 1888 ... ... ... ... 254 10 0 31st March, 1890 ... ... ... ... 105 10 0 31st March, 1891 ... ... ... ... 125 6 6 31st.March, 1892 ... ... ... ... 171 0 6 31st March, 1893 ... ... ... ... 83 10 0 30th June, 1893 ... ... ... ... 8 10 0 £748 7 0

Total Export and Value of Kauri-Gum from 1856 to 1892 (kindly supplied by Mr. H. Edmonds).

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given; printing (1,400 copies), £8.

By Authority: Samuel Costall, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB93. Price 6d.~)

Year. Tons. Value per Ton. Year. Tons. Value per Ton. 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1,440 2,521 1,810 2,010 1,046 865 1,103 1,400 2,228 1,867 1,943 1,989 2,157 2,640 3,940 5,226 4,684 2,619 2,196 £ 13 14 11 10 9 11 10 20 28 24 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 3,133 2,192 3,450 3,421 3,273 4,775 5,276 4,899 6,375 6,537 5,646 4,560 6,453 8,396 6,973 7,.517 8,661 8,404 £ 30 to 39 22 to 33 26 to 32 28 to 36 31 to 70 25 to 65 30 to 48 40 to 49/10 40/10 to 62/10 41/10 to 57/15 25/10 to 50/10 26/10 to 53 34 to 59 26/10 to 46/10 33 to 46 42 to 57/10 40/10 to 63/15 46/10 to 73/10 No record. a 23 to 28 22 to 27 18 to 30 30 to 45 144,345