26

[T. N. E. KENNY.

I.—4a.

sand from the adjoining country or sand from the quartz mines—rolling sand ?—I mentioned before that I know nothing at all about mining. Ido not know of what sort the tailings were m those days. 93. What is sand?— Silica. 94. Is all sand silica 2—As far as I know. 95. Well, that is a new definition of " sand ".: do I understand you to say that all sand is silica ?—No. I say there are several sands. 96. Is all the sand in the Waihou silica?—No, some is pumice. 97. You remember where what is known as Snodgrass's wharf was? —Yes. 98. Do you remember seeing water up to that wharf at any time?—l do not remember seeing it, but I have heard it has been above it. 99. At any rate, you have seen Paeroa under water? —I never saw water in the mam streets of Paeroa'until this January flood; but I do not mean to say that it may not have been under water before. 100. Are there not cattle-sales held at Paeroa ?—There were some a little time ago, but 1 do not know whether there are now. 101. There were cattle-sales there at some time or other?— There were cattle yards and sales held up the Puke Road. 102. Do you think the cattle-sales would have been held there if there had been no Waihi or Karangahake—in fact, if there had been no Ohinemuri Goldfield ?—No. There is a good, deal of trade between Karangahake and Paeroa. 103. Where do these cattle come from—what neighbourhood? —I really do not know. 104. At any rate, the assumption would be that they would be cattle from the farms round about?—l should say so. 105. Consequently, the farmers were benefited by the mining operations 2—Yes, I dare say they were to some extent; but, I do not know where those cattle went. 106. If the farmers were benefited to a certain extent, has the land not increased in value by the fact of Ohinemuri being a goldfield : you will admit, surely, that everything that goes to benefit the farmer must increase the value of the land 2 —Undoubtedly. 107. Would these facts not increase the value of the land: that there were cattle-sales there, and that these cattle —some of them, at any rate—were from the surrounding farms 2 —Yes. 108. How long is it since you went there to settle? —It was about 1880. 109. You would not be there in the earlier days when there was no traffic up thejiver, by steamer or otherwise, except that occasion on which the " Luna " went up?—l was not there then. 110. Do you know how far the " Luna " went up?—l have had the place pointed out to me. 111. Do you know how long it took her to go up there? —I do not. I was told that she went up to where the old mill was, and that she lay there for, I think, fwo or three days, and then backed down as far as what is called Suck-in Bay, and turned round there. 112. With regard to this sand, or "silica," as you call it, the motion of the water would have the effect of taking that down towards the sea ?—The top portion in this sample that I have 'here. The heavy portion settles very rapidly. You see the bottom part is very tenacious. 113. Is that silica or tailings that you have there?—lt is all tailings. 114. Now, show us a bottle of silica and tell us about that: when the water was flowing and disturbed, would not that help to disturb the silica sand ?—The sand, undoubtedly. 115. It would naturally go downwards? —Yes, until it met the tide. 116. And if there were steamers running every day in that river, would not that have the effect of stirring the water up to a greater extent than if there were no steamers running?— Undoubtedly the stirring up of the sand 117. I am talking about the silica: if that was going on, would not the reasonable inference be that the bottom of the river would be deeper than it was before there were any steamers running?— Until the next fresh. 118. It would be deeper until the next fresh?— Yes. We know that in the old days the steamer used often to stick for perhaps half an hour, and stir it up then. 119. What was the state of the tide when these photographs were taken?— That I cannot say. I did not take all the photographs myself. 120. Well, the ones you took yourself?—lt varied, because I did them on several different occasions. 121. Did you take any of them at high tide? —I could not say whether they were taken at high tide or low water. 122. None of these were taken at high water?— The ones showing the wharves were purposely taken at low water. 123. Before ever there was any mining, or any silica or quartz tailings put into the river, were not mud-banks to be seen, on account of the river going through low-lying country virtually all the way up ?—ln places there were mud-banks. 124. You know the Turua and Matatoke, and the bank on the railway side of the river Ohinemuri there at Matatoke?—Yes. I know there are mud-banks all the way up. 125. If a photo had been taken of this mud-bank at low tide, what would have been the impression conveyed to anybody looking at, it who did not know? —Perhaps a wrong impression is conveyed by that photograph. These wharves were built to accommodate vessels of certain draught, and these photographs were taken at low water to show that these boats could not possibly get there now, and the banks could not be shown unless the photographs were taken at low water. I stated in my evidence that the rise of the tide averaged 3 ft. You will see in two or three of those photographs that there are banks 2 ft. out of the water. 126. You say the rise of the tide is 3 ft, at the wharves? —About that, .