1.—6.

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and which will give the greatest benefit to the public ? —I should say the Harbour Board can better afford to relinquish this than the other can. Ido not think the Harbour Board will miss it. 119. The revenue of tho Dunedin Harbour Board will not be so much affected by giving this to the South Dunedin Municipality ?—No ; not at all. 120. Mr. Wood,] AVould not the Harbour Board have exactly the same acreage, whether they get this particular ten acres or not?— They will have the four hundred acres, but they will have to reclaim it. 121. But if they reclaimed this?— That does not require to be reclaimed. 122. The Crown grant has been issued —if it has been issued, in the teeth of the law? The 4th section of " The Otago Harbour Board Empowering Act, 1875," sets forth the whole thing. 123. The Chairman.] A witness yesterday stated that, in his opinion, the action of the Provincial Government in recommending tho AVaste Lauds Board to reserve this piece of land as an endowment for the South Dunedin Municipality, if it had been submitted to the Provincial Council, in his opinion, the Provincial Council would not have confirmed it. Now, I ask you whether, in your opinion, the Provincial Council would or would not have confirmed it ? —I have not the slightest doubt the Provincial Council would have passed the Ordinance confirming tho reserve; not tho slightest doubt. I am clearly of that opinion. I may state, as Chairman of the Harbour Board, I was perfectly unaware of any intention to apply for this reserve. I should have been against any claim or any such application in anticipation of that reserve over falling into the hands of the Harbour Board. 124. You were Chairman of tho Harbour Board at the time that you, as Superintendent, made the reserves ? —Yes. 125. And at that time, as far as you knew in your official capacity as Chairman of the Harbour Board, there was no intention to apply for, or any idea in the mind of the Harbour Board that they were entitled to, this piece of land ?—There was no intention, as far as I knew, to get the grant for more than fonr hundred acres. 126. Mr, Seaton.] Was it under instructions of the Harbour Board that Mr. Gillies, Secretary to the Harbour Board, got the resolution of this Land Board rescinded ? —That I cannot tell you. I never heard of any resolution. 127. You, being Chairman, must have known if another resolution passed ? —lt was not passed to my knowledge.

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