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why it should be reserved. From the Teremakau end it has been worked. There have been two parties there. One party has a big claim of 50 acres. There is work going on occasionally. Now and then somebody starts a bit of work, and leaves it again. There is nothing of any importance, but at any rate it is gold-mining. I can say 60 acres of that should be left. The ground is not difficult to prospect. 555. Hon. E. Blake.] That is 60 acres adjoining Kumara on the north?— Yes. 556. Mr. Gully.] Bordering on the Teremakau ? —Yes. I should distinctly say that a couple of hundred acres of that should be left for timber purposes—that is, 200 acres on the easterly part of the western block. 557. Mr. Jones.] Then, as to Block 1, what have you to say to that?—l should let it go on, although there is no mining in certain portions of it. There is no mining on the eastern portion of it—l,ooo acres —and I should certainly say that is not required for mining purposes. I should omit about 1,000 acres of the easterly corner, and I should reserve all the rest of Block 1. 558. That would be for the supply of timber for Kumara ?—Yes. 559. Not because there is gold there?— No. 560. I think you will recollect you came along the track to the big dam, where there is some timber?— Yes. 561. Now, coming to Block 11, Jackson's, what do you think of that ? —On a certain portion of it there was a reef found, but it did not prove payable. They put up a battery, which must be three-quarters of a mile and possibly a mile from the road, and from the battery down to the railway-station I should say there was no need to reserve land at all. There was no gold ever got there, but it is ground likely to be valuable for other purposes. I should say that a strip of land should be reserved where a reef was found and prospected, not less than 20 chains wide, with the quartz vein in the centre, for a distance of about three miles over the top of the hill to the fall of the Seven-mile Creek, and to the fall of the Taipo Creek. It follows the line north and south. I should certainly reserve that for the purpose of assisting anybody who might wish to prospect again. ,562- M,r. Gully.] Would it be a straight line ? —According as the reef goes, leaving the line of reef in the centre. There is no gold found anywhere else but at the Seven-mile Creek, which is a very narrow creek, and is only worked for a mile in length, but I should protect three miles in length. 563. With the exception of that reef the block should not be reserved?— No.' The country is pretty rough, and no alluvial ground will ever be found there, by the look of it, but the line of quartz should be well protected. 564. Now, with reference to Block Ba, by the Kaimata Bailway-station ?—There is no gold there, and it should never have been reserved. There are just two little dams and a water-race about 10 or 11 chains long, which would not occupy an acre at the most. 565. Is that on the reserve? —[Question 564 answered this.] 566. Then, with the exception of that, you say, it should not be reserved?— No. 567. Then, with regard to this Block 9—that is, the block at the back of Greymouth, with the limestone range — what do you say to that ? — The northern part of it should not be reserved at all down to a place called Deep Creek, on the line crossing the boundary of the Kakawa. With the exception of a place called Sawyer's Creek, where the banks should be protected for at least 5 chains on each side, the land need not be reserved at all. 568. Has there ever been any digging on it at all ?—No. 569. It is close to the Town of Greymouth, is it not ?—Yes. 570. There is one block—No. 12—of 2,000 acres, with the Cedar Creek reefs : what do you say to that block ?—Some of it does not show any auriferous quality. Prom what I could see, the reef was running east and west. I prospected it. I had something to do with it to my sorrow. It does not extend all over. There are several tunnels put in, and a good bit of it should be reserved. 571. What part of it should be reserved?— The western portion of it should be reserved for at the very least two-thirds of the block. 572. Is there any hatching upon that ?—No. 573. I think a company called the William Tell Company put up a battery there, and they put in tunnels and sunk shafts, and eventually the battery was sold?— Yes. 574. It was abandoned for some years, I think ? —Yes. 575. After that again, was there any revival in the mining industry ?—Yes ; with the assistance of some men in Hokitika I formed another company, and prospected it again. We put a tunnel in with a Government subsidy, which we never got, but which we were supposed to get. The consequence was that we did not get anything. We put the tunnel in 150 ft. Of course, the public were expecting that the Government would subsidise it, but they did not, and that made the thing collapse. Nothing was found in the tunnel. The quartz was found, but no gold was found in the quartz. 576. Did you run out the leader ?—lt went in and out, and there was nothing in it. 577. Yet you suggest that two-thirds of that should be reserved, with the chance of getting nothing?— Still, there has been gold got there. 578. Mr. Gully.] You have seen a good many ups and downs in the mining industry on the coast ? —More downs than ups by large odds. 579. Do you think during the last twelve months things have been looking any better ?— Beef ton is looking better decidedly. 580. Is not the West Coast generally improving as a mining district?—No ; except Eeefton. There is another reef near Greymouth, which is supposed to be payable. 581. Mr. Gully.] You still hold interests in a number of ventures on the West Coast?—■ Unfortunately. 582. How long did you say you have been on the West Coast? —Thirty-one years,