G. N. GOLDIE.]

L—l.6.

(i. What were your meal-hours? —I have had breakfast at 3in the morning on the survey. We usually had our midday meal between 11 and 12. 7. So that you had to alter your meal-hours to suit? —That was all, but we did not know any difference. 8. You were able to <l<> it because you were away from civilisation, were you not? —Yes, we only saw Maoris—except perhaps when we had occasional visits from headquarters. 9. You can see the difficulty had you been living in a large centre —you would have had to go and have your meals at a hotel at a different time? —Yes, if we were the only ones working under that system. 10. Can you speak at all for any other athletic body?— All the athletic bodies are in favour of this movement. 11. Are you aware of that? —I am aware of it; in fact, I know that all the secretaries of athletio bodies in Wellington would have been only too pleased to lie present to-day to give evidence. 12. Mr. McLaren.'] What time did these men work on this survey?— Eight hours a day. We always put in eight hours—sometimes more when it was necessary to complete information to send down to Wellington, but the average was eight hours a day. 13. Have you been present at meetings of any other athletic bodies when this matter was considered? —No, but I have been in conversation with the athletic bodies' secretaries in Wellington. I told them I was giving evidence here, and they expressed appreciation of the fact that our association was in accord with them regarding this Hill. 14. Mr. G. M. Thomson.] They have not considered it though?—l do not think it lias come before them officially. 15. The C'lutirman.] You found that the men were quite willing to take advantage of the earlyhours of the morning to get their work finished?— They were eager for it- a simple fact. Of course the men —healthy men—were up at daylight; they did not wish to stay in bed in daylight, and they simply had to put in their time until breakfast. Before we brought the scheme into force they would be away prospecting in the creeks round about the camp, or shooting pigeons, or doing something of that sort. 16. What did they put in their time at in the early afternoon?— Well, generally at washing and darning, looking after their boots and tools, and getting meat in older to keep down expenses. 17. Did you find them better prepared for work when going straight to it with daylight than they would be if they had gone out for sport before starting work? Certainly. I may add that when we were established possibly ten or fifteen miles away from our camp it was usually a race home. 18. Mr. Eraser.] That system could not be worked in all parts of the Dominion, could it? —I only experienced that on the Main Trunk line. In the South Island we did not attempt it. 19. Mr. McLaren.] It would not be applicable to all classes of country and bush-work, would it?—Oh, yes! We did it through the Mokau Valley. Of course it depended on the class of work. You could not take out a theodolite and get satisfactory results when the trees were dripping; but as far as cleared lines were concerned, that was the time when the men put in the best work. 20. What, generally, are the callings of the people belonging to your association?—lt is absolutely cosmopolitan ; we have all classes. 21. Do the big majority of them go to work at 8 o'clock in the morning or 9 at the present time? —I could not say. Speaking roughly, I should say they would be divided —possibly very equally. Some clubs are entirely composed of those who go to work at Bin the morning. 22. Mr. Newman.] Was this matter fully discussed by the members of your clubs?— Yes, by the association. 23. They appointed you as their representative? —Yes, with Mr. Peacock. Charles E. Adams, Lands and Survey Department, examined. (No. 4.) 1. The Chairman.] Whom do you represent?— The Civil Service Association. At a meeting of the association on Monday the Executive Council resolved that I should come before you to give evidence in favour of this Bill. I have in the time at my disposal made a small diagram which may show how the proposal would affect our hours of work. ['See ' Diagram I.] This is based only on very rough evidence, and I have only had the times of sunrise and sunset to go on from the New Zealand Nautical Almanac, and I have not taken twilight into account. The diagram shows the hours of daylight from sunrise to sunset, the black representing the hours before and after sunrise and sunset, and the white space in the middle representing the daylight. The black lines on it represeiit 9 o'clock a.m., and the upper black line represents the time we cease wink—s o'clock p.m. The months are shown regularly right along from the left to the right. 2. Mr. Sidey.] Is this for Wellington?— Yes, for Wellington, with New Zealand mean time. The alteration proposed by the Bill is shown by two dotted lines extending from October to the end of March, an hour earlier in the morning and in the afternoon. Of course this is subject to considerable modification if twilight be considered. I may add that every individual whom we have consulted in the Civil Service has been unqualifiedly in favour of this proposal. ■"). How is your association constituted? —It is a voluntary association of the Civil Service. 4. Which Departments does it, embrace? —All Departments, except the Railways and the Post and Telegraphs, which have their own associations. 5. How is your executive constituted?—We are elected by the various branches. There are branches in the chief towns, and they send delegates to Wellington, and the delegates themselves select from the association the officers to (airy on the executive work in the interim. (>. Then you are representative of the Civil servants all over the Dominion?— Yes, sir. 7. How many do vmi reckon you represent?—] should say our number would be about a thousand or twelve hundred. I speak subject to correction, not having the actual figures. 2—l. 15.

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