H.— 2

SUPPLEMENTABY COMMISSION.

Edwaed the Seventh, by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to our trusty and loving subjects Roderick McKenzie, of Westport, in our Colony of New Zealand, Esquire, M.H.R.; William Eraser, of Wellington, in our said colony, M.H.R.; Charles Hudson, of Wellington, in our said colony, Assistant General - Manager of Railways; James McKerrow, of Wellington, in our said colony, Land-purchase Commissioner; and John Graham, of Nelson, in our said colony, M.H.R.: Greeting. Whekeas by our Royal Commission under our Letters Patent, issued under the Seal of our Colony of New Zealand, at Wellington, on the thirty-first day of January, one thousand nine hundred and one, We did constitute and appoint you, the said Roderick McKenzie, William Eraser, and Charles Hudson, together with Arthur Morrison, of Dunedin, in our said colony, Esquire, M.H.R., and Frederick Back, of Hobart, in our Colony of Tasmania, General Manager of Railways of that colony, to be our Commissioners for the purpose of making inquiry into the matters specified in our said Commission: And whereas since the issue of our said Commission the said Arthur Morrison and Frederick Back have, with our consent, retired from and resigned the duties of Commissioners, and We have appointed you, the said James McKerrow and John Graham, to be our Commissioners in the place of the said Arthur Morrison and Frederick Back: And whereas in our said Commission We declare that We had deemed it advisable that our said Royal Commission should be issued to obtain the evidence desired by the Committee of the House of Representatives therein referred to, and to ascertain certain facts and valuations which might thereby be more conveniently ascertained : And whereas We deem it advisable that the further facts and valuations hereinafter in our present Commission specified should be ascertained : Now, therefore, know ye that We, reposing great trust and confidence in your zeal, knowledge, and ability, do by these presents constitute and appoint you to be our Commissioners for the purpose of making inquiry into and ascertaining the matters following, in addition to the matters specified in our said Commission of the thirty-first day of January, one thousand nine hundred and one, that is to say, — 1. (a.) Excluding any increase of value of traffic which would or might accrue from railways continuing or connecting with the said lines of railway at either end thereof, but adopting any method of. ascertaining the selling-value of the said lines of railway which may appear to you just and equitable, and ascertaining thereby what in your opinion is the highest amount which could have been realised by a sale of the said lines of railway immediately after the Government of our said colony took possession of the same from a purchaser other than the Government of our said colony, and deducting from such amount the aggregate amounts of the Bl values of the land granted by Us to the New Zealand Midland Railway Company (Limited), and the value of the Crown lands occupied for purposes of the said railway and the construction-work, and moneys provided by Us out of our Colonial Treasury, would any, and, if so, what, sum remain to be divided between the shareholders and debenture-holders of the said company ? (b.) Proceeding in the same manner, but deducting the aggregate amounts received by the company from the lands granted by Us, and the sums provided out of our Colonial Treasury, and the value of the Crown lands occupied as aforesaid and the construction-work, and moneys provided by Us as aforesaid, would any, and, if so, what, sum remain to be divided between the shareholders and debenture-holders of the said company ?

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