I.—4a

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78. Are you aware whether the Inspectors were acting under the Engineer before you were appointed to the department ? —At the time I was Inspector in the South I never received any instructions or orders from my predecessor in my present position. I took them from the Minister or Under-Secretary. 79. You cannot tell the Committee anything as to the conditions in the lease ? —No ; I have not seen it. 80. Do you know the mining regulations under the Coal-mines Act?— Yes. 81. Is it necessary for any lessee to get permission before he can take pillars of coal out of a mine ?—Not under the Act. 82. Nor according to the lease?— Leases may be drawn to meet special cases. 83. Do you wish to convey the impression to this Committee, then, that any colliery proprietor on Crown lands can start to take out pillars of coal when he likes ?—Yes, provided he is working his mine in a proper way. 84. Without asking permission from the Inspector or Minister ?—Yes ; that is my opinion. 85. But suppose the conditions of his lease are that he cannot touch the pillars? —If there are such conditions in the lease, of course, he would have to abide by them, but unless there are such conditions there is nothing to stop it. 86. In the event of crushing, is there danger of spontaneous combustion?—ln some mines, not in all. 87. Was this mine liable to combustion ?—I was only in it once before the 1 fire, so that my absolute knowledge of that particular mine is limited. I was never in it when it was working. 88. When the fire started this mine was under the control of the company ? —I understand it was. 89. Are you sure the company was not in liquidation before the fire started ? —I do not think they were. 90. Do you know that under the Act they are bound to keep a manager at the mine ?—Yes; when the mine is working. 91. Unless they have authority from the Minister must they not always keep a manager there ?—A certificated manager is not necessary unless more than six men are employed; if six men or under are employed, a person may receive a permit from the Inspector to act as manager. 92. Was your Inspector wrong when he said in his report that he told the agent for the company that they must have a certificated manager there ?—That, I understand, was after the fire broke out. Men were working, I take it, in fixing up matters in relation to the fire. What Mr. Tennent would mean would be some competent manager to take charge of the men who were engaged in the work of shutting off the fire. 93. But there was no one working there then ?—No ; but they would have to get a few men to do odds and ends—putting up stopping and so on. I take Mr. Tennent's meaning to be this : here is a mine doing nothing ; a number of men will have to be engaged; it will not do for these men to be all captains; we must have some one in charge. I could not be certain of the exact details; I know that Mr. Tennent considered that some one should be in charge. As to asking for Mr. Dixon, I really could not pledge myself to anything. 94. As a matter of fact, you do not know?—l really do not know. My impression .was that Mr. Dixon was asked to come there on behalf of the Westport-Cardiff Coal Company. 95. Do you know when Mr. Broome severed his connection with this company ?—I think, in January. 96. Before the fire started? —Yes ; I think so. 97. What sort of manager do you consider him ? —A very good one. 98. You know Mr. Alison, the manager of the Brunner Mine?—l have met him once or twice. 99. Do you think he would know a coal-mine from a quartz-mine?—l think he should. 100. I suppose you know Mr. Shore ?—Yes. 101. Is he an experienced mine-manager ? —Yes. 102. Did you consider him a practical, capable mine-manager?— Yes ; he is very good. 103. Do you think Mr. Alison would be in charge of the mine which he is in charge of now if he were not a capable man ? —lt is hardly likely. 104. Do you think the Inspector was stating a fact when he said that these men did not know whether the mine was a coal-mine or a quartz-mine?— What Mr. Tennent says is this : " Bridge section : This section of works was not inspected by the gentlemen named above to ascertain whether the coal was faulty, or whether it was a coal- or a quartz-mine," All Mr. Tennent says .there is that they did not inspect the Bridge section at all. 105. He was not with them? —Yes; I understand he was. 106. As a matter of fact, they did inspect the Bridge section?—He says here that they did not. 107. You have read these gentlemen's report: do you think it a reasonable report? — Scarcely; for one thing they did not see the inside of the mine, and naturally could not be so conversant with the conditions as either Mr. Tennent or Mr. Dixon. 108. Was Mr. Dixon ever inside the mine ? —He was inside, I understand, with Mr. Tennent soon after the fire broke out. 109. How far ?—As far as he could get. Mr. Dixon told me that he got up to about 25 chains from the mine-entrance. 110. Messrs. Shaw, Alison, and Foster condemned the method of your bringing a fan to bear on that fire? —As a matter of fact, a fan was never brought to bear on the fire at all, because, as I told you, when we got in here [indicating place on plan] we could only get in about 10 ft. for blackdamp.