MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE

H.—No. 7

18

Government intend to pursue the inquiry a little further, and I have not the slightest doubt that it will result in the mine being opened, and coal found within a very easy distance of the Buller River, in sufficient quantity to supply all requirements for a number of years. The Buller River has a better entrance and is much more navigable than any other river on the West Coast; and it is evident that it" the Government succeed in getting the Mount Rochfort mine into working order, it will be a great benefit to the whole country. At the present time the supplies for miners in that district are chiefly derived from Melbourne, because the freights on goods from Melbourne are lower than the freights from any other port in New Zealand except Nelson ; and the people in that part of the country look with interest to the opening of this coal mine, because they consider it will have the effect of very much reducing the price of provisions, and will assist in developing the country by bringing into the market provisions produced nearer home. I need scarcely trouble the Committee with remarks on the value of the coal, because that has been so frequently shown that anything I can say would bo quite unnecessary; but understanding that there is some misapprehension as to the navigability of the Buller, or the improvement that could be made in that river towards fitting it to become a port for vessels of all kinds, I think the Committee will not object to hear what I have to say on that subject. The river is not much larger, and discharges a greater body of water, than any other river on the West Coast; but it has the further advantage of its mouth being very much sheltered by rocks, commonly known as the Steeples, which lie to the south-west of the port, and shelter it from the prevailing winds. The body of water ■which it discharges always keeps the channel much deeper and the bar much clearer than is the case with the other West Coast ports ; but since a settlement has been founded at Westport, the banks have very m uch wasted away. Parties have built on the bank, and the Government has put jetties there, loosening the soil, and causing it to be washed away. The river has thus been widened, and the wear has been carried down to the mouth of the river, and has widened the bar very much. Whatever other effect the widening of the river may have had, it is quite clear that, in consequence of the wearing away of the bank, a great quantity of stuff has been deposited on the bar. At the present time, Nature is beginning to reassert herself in the Buller, and the south bank of the river is now growing. A vast amount of shingle is being deposited on it, and every year it increases, more especially since groins have been put up by the Provincial Government in order to protect that bank of the river on which the town is laid out. If the construction of these groins is continued, or they are assisted by some artificial construction, such as that suggested by Mr. Blackett, C.E., in his report, there is not the slightest doubt that the river would return to its old state, and we would again have, as formerly, from 1G feet to IS feet of water upon the bar; in that case, the great obstacle that exists to the proper working of the coal mines on the West Coast of the Middle Island would be done away with, because to a great extent the river would become accessible to colliers that could be employed in the trade. The Buller bar is very safe. I do not remember ever hearing of any accident happening there except such as could be traced to neglect or ignorance. The other bars on the coast are constantly exposed to accidents, in consequence of violent gales, and to the rivers being subject to obstruction. Therefore, I look upon the opening of this coal mine, and the making of the river return to its old state, as a cure for many of the evils of which the population on the West Coast complain. I think the construction of a good harbour, and the development of such a coal mine as we have at the Buller River, to be the most important things we could do in the Middle Island, and I should be most happy to give any information I can on the subject, which my local knowledge will enable me to afford. 185. The Chairman.'] You spoke of some groins having been constructed by the Nelson Government : have they stood their work well ?—Excellently. These groins contain neither masonry nor woodwork, but consist merely of large rough stones. 186. Mr. Holmes.'] But have they not had the effect of altering the course of the current, and of washing away the bank on the west side ? —There are three groins, one succeeding the other, and they are put at such an angle as to direct the force of the current to the middle of the river, but not so as to cause it to wash away the west side. I think it has had a contrary effect, and has made the shingle bank on the west side. 187. The Chairman.] How far is the mine of which you speak from the sea ? —By the survey line, Coalbrook Dale is 12 miles from the sea; but the outcrop of which I have spoken is, by way of the river, 10 miles from the sea, but only 5 miles in a straight line. 188. Is the river not navigable for vessels after they have got over the bar ?—Tes, for about four and a half miles. 189. Then it would be necessary to construct a tramway in order to bring the coal down?—The coal mine could be worked by a self-acting incline, and the coal could then be brought down in vessels to the port. Myself and an officer of the Provincial Government sounded the shallows in the river, and the least depth we found for 40 miles up was two feet six inches. That is ample depth for the vessels that would be required. 190. Mr. Holmes.] Is the proposed tramway to be made on the north or on the south side of the river ? —The line of railway is laid down on the north side ; in fact, all lines must be laid out on that side. 191. Mr. Acland.] What depth of water is there on the bar?-—Three or four feet at low water ; twelve to fourteen feet at high ; but the bar is much shallower than it need be. By a very small expenditure the stream could be concentrated, and kept so. In other rivers on the coast this would be impossible. With us the ground is solid, but at the Grey and Hokitika, notably at the latter place, it is sand throughout, and the slightest breeze of wind shifts the bar. If the Committee have not had their attention directed to the matter, I would point ou,t that there is a great quantity of clay, suitable for the manufacture of fire bricks, in the Buller Districts. Edward McGlashan, Esq., M.H.R., in attendance and examined. 192. The Chairman.] Would you give the Committee such information as you possess on the subject of the Waikawa coal field ?—I was not prepared for examination on this subject, but I may state