23

D.—6p

blishing a Board of, say, fifteen members. A Board of that size would be unwieldy, and would involve too much outlay in travelling-expenses to attend meetings, &c. The Commission advises the repeal of proviso (a) of section 20 of the Act, and its re-enaction to provide for a Board of five members, namely—One to be appointed by the Governor-General (who should, we think, be the Public Works Engineer) ; one to be appointed by the Borough Council of Waihi; one to be elected by the ratepayers of the river district within the Hauraki Plains County ; one to be elected by the ratepayers of the river district within the Thames and Ohinemuri Counties and the Thames and Paeroa Boroughs; one to be elected by the ratepayers of the river district within the Piako and Matamata Counties and the Borough of Te Aroha : the Government nominee to be the Chairman of the Board. The Board, when appointed, to have all the powers of a Harbour Board, and also those of a River Board. Findings of Commission. In answer to the questions specifically addressed to us in Your Excellency's Commission, we very respectfully find as follows : — 1. The allocation under clause (d), subsection (4), of section 17 of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement Act, 1910, of the cost of providing, from the Ist day of April, 1921, the interest and sinking fund on any loans raised for the purpose of carrying out the works authorized by the Rivers Improvement Act, 1910, together with the cost of administration and maintenance, is not, under existing conditions, fair and equitable, and the following should be substituted therefor :— One-half from the Consolidated Fund. One-fourth from the counties and boroughs (other than Waihi) within the river district, in the undermentioned proportions : — Thames County .. . . .. 4 per cent. ; Hauraki Plains County .. 33 per cent. ; Ohinemuri County . . .. 25 per cent. ; Piako County .. . . . . 15 per cent. ; Matamata County . . .. .. 7 per cent. ; Thames Borough . . .. .. 3 per cent. ; Paeroa Borough .. . . .. 7 per cent. ; Te Aroha Borough . . . . . . 6 per cent. One-half the gold duty (including therein the goldfields revenue) received from mining in the river district. In the event of the gold duty falling below £500 per annum the Government to retain £250 per annum, and in the event of the duty falling below £250 the Government to retain the whole and the Waihi Borough Council to pay the difference between the amount retained and the sum of £250. A charge against all companies and persons discharging mullock, tailings, slimes, or debris into either the Waihou or Ohinemuri Rivers or their tributaries ; such charge to be at the rate of Is. per ton on all mullock or other material 90 per cent, of which will not pass through a 1.50-mesh screen, and 4d. per ton on all ore crushed to the fineness specified. 2. The consequential variations to be made in subsection (1) of section 25 of the Act should be as under: — (a.) By the Minister of Finance—one-half of the gold duty (including therein the goldfields revenue) received from mining in the river district; but in the event of the gold duty falling below £500 per annum the Government to retain £250 per annum, and in the event of the duty falling below £250 the Government to retain the whole and the Waihi Borough Council to pay the difference between the amount retained and the sum of £250.