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MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE INTER-PROVINCIAL COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE.

EXAMINATION OF CAPTAIN MILTON. Wednesday. 28th May, 1856. Zealand' for fw ™ T** / the " Zingar i " steamor ' bave beGn 011 the coas t of New Otago ?-Yes g ' m ac l uamted witb all the P°between Manukau and iK o b Ln P ° SSi^ e t0 r^ tain . a communication, with one steamer, between Jianukau and Otago, calling at the intermediate ports of New Plymouth, Nelson, Wellington ana Lyttelton, both going and returning, provided that a detention of not more than twenty four hours was allowed m any one port ?—lt would be possible to make two trips a month calling It the oflLaiSgwidTS a dGte ? ion ° f A feW V,T ° nly to ° k Plaoe ia ea ° h P° rt T ' he actual time 3KiSf m yS ' T VT ld tw ' ont days for detention in harbour, adanted for Ihe Wp Jof the coastmg traffic of New Zealand, what size vessel would be best adapted tor the trade; and what power should she possess to enable her to make say twenty two trips in the year, calculating that two trips would bo lost in making repairs &c >—I think that i vessel of 350 tons register would be large enough, because she would not £ required to caSy carJ she ought to be guaranteed to ran eight knots an hour. q t0 Caily Cargo ' whichTuch ™s° P l j »hn^ State - t0 t ?° C r mi l tee . w}lat ' in s" our °P inion ' sh ™ld be the probable bonus t0 entCl ' ° n SUdl an undertaking ?-I should think r ±10 '° 00 . a J™*! but I think that an arrangement might be made by the owners to run C tl' S uaran teemg a fixed interest on the capital advanced AW I" Col ' ,nlal Secretary.—Wwt is at present the average stay of the " Zin-ari "in each nort ? -About three days m each port, with the exception of Taranaki 1 .» ioS'C wlS?' *"" " Zi ° g ™ *-T «* i I think about rix knots 11,0 ®f eed ™BM,8 M , b0 ™reaMd>-]!y the substitution of u new boiler her entered into for lis thl P t0 m alterati ° n UnIeSS lllCre Was a contract