OUR GUMFIELDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 138, 13 June 1893, Page 3

OUR GUMFIELDS.

THE HOYAL COMMISSION

A. L, Edwaet),s, of the firm of J. B. Gilfillan nnd Co , stated that ho did not think that kauri gam would go much higher in price than the figures at which it was now I quoted. If it did, the kauri (rum would be j Ehud out of tho market, as yarnish-tnakora a would look elsewhere for other gums. \ Manilla would no doubt take the place of ( kauri in such event for somo purposes. His firm had senfc a little New Caledonian pum through to London, but ho did not think ib would in any way compete with feanri. N. Jarvie, storekeeper and (rum buyer, at Kaweroa, near Hokinnpa, deposed that the diggers on the Crown Lands were ih no ■way bound to purchase from any particular Btoro. Witness stated that tho Britishers often got into debt and neglected to pay their accounts to the storekeepers, whilst the Austriana and Maones alvvays paid honestly, 'i'ho Austrians, however, were nob as pood customers to r,ho stores, insorauch aa they only spent about 7n per week per man in provisions, whereas nn Englishman's bill generally reached 14s. The Austrians worked, as a rule, longer each day than tho Britishers. They used no gum spear, and tho pieces thoy obtained woro much smaller than tlio gum of the Britishers. On an average a digger earned about £2 5s per week.

The Commission commences ita country tour to-morrow, sitting at Kumau.