85

D.—4,

Pathiok Lamb examined. (No. 51.) 1. The Chavrman.] Where do you resided—At Tangihua No. 1 Block, six miles from Maungakaramea Post-office. I am a settler and grazier. I think 1 have 199 acres, and I have been twenty-five years in the district. 2. Will you kindly make a statement to the Commission? —On the western route there is steam communication to Pahi and Port Albert, and near to Paparoa. South of the Gap there are ports on the Wairoa at Pahi, Paparoa, and Port Albert. Eight miles of the Mangonui River is navigable, but the settlements are on the Wairoa side. The navigation of the Wairoa goes as far as Wharekohe, on tin- Mangakahia Stream, which may be called a continuation of the Wairoa. I know a little about the navigation of the Wairoa, and I consider if the railway weni that side it would be iniquitous, for the reason thai the passenger traffic tnighi go by the railway instead of by the steamer, and it would In- ruinous to the steamship company. Greal pains have been taken for many years to work up the trade on the Wairoa. With the railway there, the freight alone might not pay the steamers, and there would be fewer vessels trading on the river. About twenty years ago I got up a petition to get a mail-service between Tangiteroria and Dargaville, and a subsidy was granted, and Captain IVaree instituted a four-weekly service. There is now a daily service up the river. The freight from Dargaville to Tangiteroria for the settlers is ."is. a ton, but there is a difference between the price charged to settlers and that charged to storekeepers. 'I , he freight from Tangiteroria to Helensville is Iβ Cd., and the railway charge from Helensville to Auckland is 2s. per hundredweight; that is for two boxes of butter. The more thai is sent the less is the price. I consider it would be iniquitous to make the railway by the western route, and to allow the steam traffic to lie crushed out. The railway should In. , kept away as much as possible from the ports on the Wairoa and on the eastern side, too. 3. Are you in favour of the eastern or the western route?— The central route: but do not go near the Wairoa. i. Are you in favour of going on with the central route or connecting with Whangarei?—l do not want the railway to connect with navigable waters at all. I would prefer no railway at all rather than it should go by the western route. Henry Bernard Sloane examined. (No. 52.) 1. The Chairman.] Where do you reside?—At Mangapai. 1 am a farmer, and am stock agent for the Farmers' Union. I have been in the district for thirty-four years. In Waikiekie I have 800 acres of private leasehold with right of purchase, and 1 have 1,200 acres on the Tauraroa, private leasehold with right of purchase, and I have 490 acre's of freehold at Ruakaka. 2. Would you make a statement to the Commission regarding the matters we are inquiring into?—l would very much like to see the Main Trunk line pushed ahead as fast as possible by the eastern •β-oute. As the main line is put in 1 should like to see it connected with Whangarei, as I think it would be a great advantage to the north and surrounding districts here. 3. Would you stop the main line whilst that connection is being put in? —I would like to see that chief work put on to the main line, and 1 should think that by the time the main line got to the nearest point the line from Whangarei would be pretty well ready so as to have the connection pretty well straight away, so that the trailic from the north could go over it at once. 4. You would advocate pushing on at onoe with the connection as soon as it gets to a suitable point of junction ?—Yes. 5. In what order of precedence do you consider the work should be carried on ? Do I understand you to say that the Main Trunk should be pushed on with all speed to the point of junction, and then on to Whangarei, and that after that the work on the Main Trunk should be proceeded with; or do you mean that the work should be continued on the Main Trunk, and take the chance of the junction to Whangarei?—l would be inclined to advocate going straight on to Whangarei. 1 would like to see the Main Trunk pushed on and the line from Whangarei southwards started at once, so that the two lines would reach the point of junction at about the same time. I have had a good deal to do with stock on both proposed lines, and have had to do with the shipping of stock. There have been a good many complaints about the bad handling and shipping of stock on the western route, and there has been a great deal said in favour of this side. I may say that I have held beef cattle at Mangapai for a fortnight waiting for suitable weather to ship, and tired of holding them there have sold out to a dealer, and half of the cattle were eventually shipped at Mititai. 6. Mr. Ronayne.~\ You said that the shipment of cattle by the western route was very bad?— 1 fanoy there has been a great deal made of the matter of shipping oattle on that side. 7. Does that mean by punt or barge to Helensville and on from there to Auckland by railway? —Yes. Mr. Riddell, my neighbour, handles his cattle all to Mititai, and has never brought a load of cattle to Mangapai, and there is little or no difference in distance. 8. You think that cattle can be shipped to better advantage on the eastern coast than on the Wairoa River? —We have to hold for three weeks sometimes because of the weather, and then have to go on to the rail-head. 9. You do that with the desire to have direct railway communication with Auckland?— Yes. 10. Mr. Coom.] What is the country south of the western side of the Tangihuas—say, for a width of four or five miles? —There is a patch of very good alluvial flat on it, and the rest is hilly sandstone ground. It has l>een bush country, and a great deal has bees cleaved and fire run through the standing bush, but it has come up in fern again a bit. 11. Mr. SfnJhi'nrthy.] How long have you held your large acreage?— Three years.