P. COCK.j

11

C. -14.

92. As agent of the Company, you have seen a great increase in the company's t rathe? Yes. 93. So that, in spite of the discharge of silt into the river, the use of the river by the steamers has increased ?—Yes. 94. The traffic Oil the river has increased since the mines began to discharge sill into (he river?—-Until the railway came. 1)5. Notwithstanding the railway, has not the traffic on the river increased/ They are not always loaded. !)ti. You have a considerable number of willows on the banks near your place?— Yes. 97. Mr. Clendon.] When did you first lose any of your cattle by this silt-consumption / Ahoul three or four years ago. 98. Have you opened every one of those animals 1— No; I opened two. 00. Did you take any expert opinion as to the cause of death? -No, 1 did not require ;nn : the thing was so obvious. 100. Was any one present but yourself?—My son. 101. Is it only, the calves that it affects? —Yes. 102. What did you pay for your land per acre/—1 bought hind from the Natives. '/'//, Chairman: If the witness does not care to 101 l us, we cannot press him. 103. Mr. Clendon.] What was the value of your land per acre in 1895—.£4?— Yes. and more than that. I would not then have taken less than £15 an acre for it. 101. Can you point to any land in the vicinity of Paeroa that has brought about £15 an acre? —I do not know that any was sold. I know thai some has been sold since at double the money. 105. Do we understand that you cannot give the value in 1895?— No: what has increased the value of the land here is the butter-factory. 106. Can you say what stock was running on that land in 1805/—An average of forty head. 107. What are you running now?— About thirty-eight. 108. How many cows were you milking in 1805/- About eighteen, I should think. 109. How many are you milking now/—About twenty or twenty-two. 110. And in the summer-time about forty-two?— No. 111. What is the most you milk in the summer-time /—I milk on an average twenty-two cows. I 12. What proportion of the 40 acres do you say is damaged from the lop of the bank towards the water?—l suppose about .'lO acres. 113. Probably a little more?— There may be. 114. I think it was land that was never of much use?— There never was better land in NewZealand —not even in the Waikato. 115. It was land that consisted mostly of gravel, stones, and shrubs?—] wish we had a little more gravel. 116. What is the difference in the depth of the channel at Te Puke now and eighteen years ago for navigation purposes?—l do not think much difference. 117. Is there any?— There is some, but there would be a great difference if the boats were run off : they keep the channel open. 118. How many acres of Barrett's farm is damaged?— About half of it. 119. You have not been over that land to inspect it?—l can see it from my place. 77/e Chairman : He said about half was injured by silt. We can go and see it for ourselves. We do not want anything more than that. 120. Mr. Clendon.] When were you last on Barrett's land?— Yesterday. 121. I think blackberries arc growing very luxuriantly upon your property? —No, Ihe\ cannot grow for silt. 122. Mr. Mueller.] Have you purchased any land since you originally came here? —Yes. 123. How long ago?— About five or six years ago. 124. So that the number of cattle you were running in 1895 were running on a less area than they arc running on now?— Yes. 125. Do you know whether the Junction Wharf was used by the Northern Steamship Company before the Paeroa Railway-station was made? —Yes. I think it was. 126. Steamers were running to the Junction only before the railway-bridge was erected across the river?— Yes. 127. Tt has been suggested that you and the farmers have greatly benefited on account of the mining? —That is not so. 128. How do you make that out?—l have not made a penny from mining. The mining industry has pauperized this place. If they had liccn loyal to their own parent county, things would have been different : but they seceded when they formed a borough, and took all our revenue away, and left us poor indeed. You have only to look al the place: if is like an empty sepulchre. If it had not been for the butter industry this place would have been wiped out altogether. We have laid out some .£13,000 in the dairy industry, and we have a little launch running up the river. 120. Arc the farmers dependent on the population of Waihi? —No, we export all our butter— very nearly the whole of it. Wim.iam Marsh examined. (No. 3.) 1. Mr. Mueller.] What is your name?— William Marsh. I am a farmer residing at Mackaytown. 2. You own the Wairere, 37 acres, and Rewarewa. 23 acres, Nos. 1 and 2 Blocks, of a total area of 95 acres?— Yes. 3. The Otara Block. -'15 acres, is where you live?— Yes. 1. What area has been affected by silt?— About 05 acres has been affected, and about 31 acre; of that has been destroyed, by silt. The silt is from 6 in. to 10 ft. deep.