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59. Then, agricultural settlement and grazing settlement might be expected within comparatively few years now that the reservation is gone ? —lt takes time to settle country ; but, as the better land is selected, people in the North Island come here now looking for land. 60. And you think the breaking-up of this reservation will mean very large settlement ?— Well, it will mean assisting settlement and causing settlement to form, 61. The rate of settlement, then,, in the past under the control of the company would be no guide as to the rate of settlement in the future now that the reservation is gone ? —No, I should think not. 62. Mr. Bell.] In your estimate of the 40,000 or 50,000 acres, have you included the land the produce from and the goods to which have to pass through the Buller Valley at the junction ? —I have included land in the Buller Valley, certainly. 63. What is the distance by dray from Inangahua Junction to Eeefton ?—Twenty miles. 64. And how far from Inangahua Junction to Westport ? —Twenty-six miles. 65. Excluding for a moment the Inangahua Valley, can you imagine produce which reaches the junction being taken up to Reef ton and there put into the railway rather than being taken from the junction to Westport ?—I should think the valley could not export produce at all excepting to Greymouth. 66. lam excluding the Inr.ngahua Valley: lam supposing the produce of the sheep-farms, or anything else you like, which has to go by dray to Inangahua Junction. Now, at Inangahua it will either turn up the valley to get into the railway at Reefton and have two handlings more, or it will go to Westport and be delivered into the steamer at Westport: can you imagine produce being taken by the railway under these circumstances?' —It would all depend on the cost of cartage. 67. But you told me the distance is something more? —The difference is six miles between the two. If the traffic comes from the limestone country it would go to Westport; from any part of the Inangahua Valley it would go to Reefton. 68. With the exception of land in the Inangahua Valley, supposing the railway be carried not further than Reefton, is it your opinion that any part of the produce of the lands will go to Greymouth, or that any part of the supplies for those lands will come from Greymouth ?—I should not think that any land in the Buller Valley would assist the railway whatever. 69. Or land of the hills, which go first into the Buller Valley and then up the Inangahua Valley?— They would not take produce that way at all. 70. Dr. Findlay.] 40,000 acres or 50,000 acres are mentioned by you ?—Yes. 71. Can you tell me, roughly, what locality that land lies in ?—The great portion of it is in the Inangahua Valley. There would, only be a few thousand acres in the Buller Valley. 72. Can you give me a rough proportion—one-third, a quarter, or one-fifth—of the 50,000 acres ? —There might be a fifth. 73. That is about 10,000 acres?—l do not know that there would be a fifth. 74. Probably less than a fifth?— Yes. 75. Then, less than a fifth, on the grounds put to you by Mr. Bell, would go to Westport?— Yes. 76. The remaining four-fifths would go to Reefton ?—Yes. 77. The Chairman.] Is this land you refer to up the Dee Valley? —I refer to the land from the Blackwater to the Inangahua. 78. That is entirely on this side of the junction ?—Yes. 79. Do you think the produce from that land will come this way or go to Reefton ?—I think any from the Blackwater will go to Westport. 80. Now, the four-fifths that will go to Reefton, where is that locality ?—All the slopes of the hills on the east side of the Inangahua Valley, and the hills on each side of the valley up to Reefton. 81. And the produce from there and the goods to the settlers will come from Reefton?—Yes. 82. Which way does the traffic go now? —I think this way; part of that is served by Westport now, excepting the Inangahua Valley. 83. The bulk of the traffic from the settlers there is from Reefton now?— Yes. 84. Take from the Dee up to the Lyell and the south side of the Buller Range: do you think the traffic will come from and go to here or Reefton ? —At present I should say about half the traffic from that district goes to Reefton and half to Westport. 85. That is, by the road from Inangahua on towards Longford ? —Yes. 86. One-half goes each way ?—Yes. 87. Now, as to the mining reserves, do you think these reserves are likely to be settled for settlement purposes of any kind?—Oh, yes ; they will be settled in the future. 88. That is, both for agricultural and grazing purposes ?—Yes. 89. Did you include any of the mining reserves in your estimate? —No. 90. What is the area of the mining reserves ?—I estimate about 5,000 acres of mining reserves to be agricultural land, but there are 16,000 or 17,000 acres of mining reserves altogether. 91. Would the rest be suitable for grazing purposes?— Yes. 92. Mr. McKerrow.] You said there were 7,000 or 8,000 acres of agricultural land in the Inangahua Valley already taken up ?—Yes. 93. What is the product from that agricultural land: is it grain?—No; mostly stock and potatoes and garden produce. 94. Is it dairy produce ?—Yes, there is dairying too. 95. Then, the land taken up, or the greater part of it, is simply grass land at the present moment ?—Yes. 96. And are there not climatic reasons against growing grain ?—They say it is rather wet in some parts of the season, and grain does not ripen well.