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2060. But immediately after you completed your contract navvies'wages fell Is. per day?— Yes; from 9s. to Bs. 2061. Do you know whether later still they were reduced still further ?—I do not know. 2062. Do you know whether, after your contract was completed, the wages of carpenters, whom you were paying at the rate of 14s. a day, came down ?—I have no direct knowledge, but Mr. Stewart told me in casual conversation he "could get carpenters cheaper than I was getting them, and I think he told me he could get them at 12s. a day, but I have no reliable proof. 2063. Who was Stewart? —This was the man under whose care the buildings at Stillwater were erected. 2064. He was a competent man, and knew whether men could be got at that wage ?—Yes. 2065. And he told you, so far as you recollect, that he could get men at 12s. a day ? —Yes; I know some of the men working for him. 2066. Can you tell me what difference it would have made in the total of your contract if your navvies had been working at Bs. a day and the carpenters at 12s. a day throughout the nine months ? —I should imagine it would have made fully 10 per cent, difference—that is, approximately speaking. 2067. The Chairman.] Is this pay-sheet the only paper you have in connection with the contract ?—This is a communication I got from Mr. Edwards [Exhibit No. 23]. 2068. Does this relate to railway-crossings originally in your contract and afterwards not put in?— They were not included in the work I had at that time. This occurred three years afterwards. This was a property I bought on the Eeefton line, and these were crossings on the property shown on the plan, but afterwards not made. 2069. And this shows the price agreed upon ?—Yes; compensation for dispensing with the crossings. They made ample provision for crossings along their railway-line. 2070. And they paid you £39 3s. Bd. as compensation for doing away with the crossings? —• Yes. 2071. Mr. Fraser.] You said that you had cleared all expenses and made fair wages ?—Yes. 2072. What do you mean by fair wages ? Do you mean the wages of a working-man or of a competent contractor ?—As a contractor. I consider it left me a margin of about £500, in round figures, on a contract of £10,000. I consider that fairly good for the time. 2073. Mr. Graham.] That £500 included wages and profit combined ?—Yes. 2074. Mr. Fraser.] How many participated in that profit ?—I had sole charge of the contract, and I reaped the whole benefit. I consider 1 made fully that amount. Joseph Scott examined on oath. 2075. The Chairman.] What are you, Mr. Scott ? —Mine-manager, residing at Ngahere. 2076. Dr. Findlay.] How long have you been in charge of your present mine ? —About six years and a half. 2077; How far from the Brunner is your mine ?—The bins where we deliver at Ngahere would be about eight miles from the Brunner Mine, and the coal passes over the Midland Bailway for a distance of about eight miles. 2078. Is the mine an old one or in rather an early stage of development ?—Well, you might call it an early stage of development; we have only been working seven years. 2079. Is it capable of expansion ?—Yes. 2080. Do you see any prospect of the mine being developed still further within the next five or six years, say? —According to the present demand it might be developed. 2081. I take it that the measures are there if they were needed ? —Yes. 2082. What is your present output of coal?— For the last eleven months it was 82,500 tons. You might say 100,000 tons for the year. 2083. Could you give me any idea of what you think—supposing the demand became much larger, or, we will assume, unlimited—you could put out?— With our present appliances we could put out 120,000 tons. ■ 2084. And if you had such appliances as you would recommend for the purpose of increasing the output, what would be the maximum ? —120,000 tons a year. 2085. Do I understand that the mine is incapable under any circumstances of producing more than that per year?— Yes, without putting on more men. 2086. But granting you any conditions you like to assume ; I want bo find out what possible expansion could be made : what do you think the mine could reasonably put out if you had an unlimited number of men? —Up to 200,000 tons, if we had a railway. 2087. Ii there was a loop line connecting you, you could get up to 200,000 tons a year ?—Yes. 2088. Is the demand for your coal increasing ?—Yes. 2089. Has it increased during the last year or two ?—Over 20,000 tons last year. 2090. Do you see any reason why that increase, with the present outlook in the coal trade, should not go on ?—No. 2091. So that you may have an increase of 20,000 tons a year?— Yes. 2092. And when the increase reaches something like 200,000 tons you, of course, would have your loop line ?—Yes. 2093. So that we may take it as quite probable that within five years the traffic of your coal over the Midland Eailway might be doubled ?—Yes, if the loop line was put in 2094. You do not claim to be able to speak about any of the other coal-measures, or of the timber trade ?— No. 20 95. Mr. Bell.] Dr. Findlay put it to you that in five years your output might be doubled; he said that you increased 20,000 tons last year, and that you may increase 40,000 tons this year, and 60,000 tons next year, and so on ?—No; our maximum output could be only 200,000 tons if we had the railway.