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I.—B

171. Are you familiar with the case which occurred below Tinker's on Glassford's run ?—No; it is outside my district. 172. Forgetting for the time about mining, how would you deal with those hills. Take the Eough Eidge, supposing ifc was to be subdivided ?—I would reserve the northern portion and subdivide it into pastoral lease areas, and for seven or eight miles further down subdivide it into pastoral deferred-pay-ment areas. This would take up the country as far as Garibaldi and German Hill Diggings on the other side. Around those diggings I would deal with the country on pastoral lease, and from that down to the Dunstan-Eock and Pillar Eoad I would divide into pastoral deferred-payment areas. 173. And how many holdings would you get ? —There would be about twenty holdings between the Eock and Pillar and the Dunstan Eoad. There are only three now 174. The same principle would extend to the other hills ? —Yes.

Saturday, 23ed July, 1881. Mr. Dated Baeecot, examination continued from 21st July 175. Mr. De Lautour.] We had pretty well discussed the plains, and had your view as to how they should be settled. Commencing at the Taieri, at its entrance to Maniototo, going through them, and ending at Serpentine, we then began to talk about how the hill country could be cut up ? —I forget whether my evidence referred to the large plain in the Serpentine Valley 176. No ; you merely said that the upper reaches of the Taieri, whilst classed as agricultural land, could not be utilized for some considerable time ? —Quite right. It lies at a considerable altitude, has a cold aspect, and will not be looked after for settlement for years —not until the better lands in the plains are occupied. 177 We had your views about cutting up pastoral country I think you could perhaps enlarge a little upon that subject. We had taken the Eough Ridge as an illustration, and you had shown how it could be cut up ? —Of course, all the pastoral country along Mount Ida, Hawkdun, and St. Bathans Ranges will be subdivided into pastoral areas. It is all more or less auriferous, and consequently must be dealt with so that miners can have access to it. It ought to be subdivided into smaller areas on pastoral leasehold only 178. Take the country from Kyeburn to St. Bathans, to Morven Hills, how can that be cut up ? Is there not an enormous area on the top, above the snow-line, and extending over to the Waitaki ? —I should think that upon the Maniototo side it would be well to run up to the crown of the range, leaving the water-shed of the Waitaki to be dealt with from the Waitaki side. 179. Would it be practicable to fence along the top ?—Yes; the only danger is that heavy snow in winter may break down the fences. They could, however, be repaired every year after the snow had disappeared. I have been along these ranges, and know pretty well they could all be fenced. 180. Then, how would you cut the areas from the base —how would such a tract of country be cut up ? —'ln trying them the other day I found they would have to be subdivided into areas of from 20,000 acres to 10,000 acres —nothing less. In the case of the Hawkdun Run they would require to be larger. Commencing on the Manuherikia and extending to the Kyeburn Hundred, they would vary from 10,000 acres to 18,000 acres, and could not be worked in lesser areas than these. 181. Is that the case of the greatest amount of depth from the base on the plain to the top of range ? —Tes. You must also be influenced by the natural features, otherwise you will make a subdivision very expensive to work. But, taking into account the natural features, and the great distance from the road-line to the crown of the range, you cannot have the subdivisions in smaller areas. Where you can give and take for fencing, you may for boundaries follow a creek; but, where the creek is rough and rocky, it is as well for the dividing line to follow the crown of the ridge. A great many of the runs now have subdividing fences. The Mount Ida Water-race forms a very good fence for dividing the hill country from the low country, and so will make fencing come cheaper —not as dividing between one leasehold and another, but a boundary by which the leaseholder can partition his winter country from his summer country The race is not fenced, but sheep cannot cross. Coming down to Run 228, it Hitiy be subdivided into two runs only, because the best part of the low country has already been taken off for the St. Bathans Block of 9,000 acres. 228 is known as Hawkdun Station. 182. What is the depth, through from St. Bathans to the pass at the head of the Hawkdun Run ?— I cannot answer that. It is very high, cold country At the junction of the two rivers (the east and west branches of the Manuherikia) the valley must be about 2,400 feet above sea-level. I have often tried to find how this run could be subdivided into smaller areas, but there does not seem to me to be any feasible way of doing it. 183. We shall go back to the Kakanuis, at the Kyeburn Hundred. You stated generally in your evidence that they could be cut up. What areas would you propose to divide them into at the back of the Kyeburn Hundred? —From 1,000 acres to 3,000 acres. It would be well to subdivide them so as to suit some of the people of Kyeburn already settled on small farms. 184. What about the Hyde Run —Main's old run —from a point across from Hamilton's ?—I would suggest that all the country lying partly on Run 204, as well as to the east of Hamilton's and right down as far as the Capburn, be subdivided into deferred-payment pastoral areas. It is admirably adapted for that purpose, because it can be subdivided into very small areas of 1,000 acres or so, and because each section would have within its boundaries perhaps 100 acres or 200 acres of very fair agricultural land. 185. With regard to Run 205 ?—Taking 205 after passing the land already surveyed and settled, you get into the educational endowments. I think it would be well in any case to have 205 cut up into pastoral deferred-payment areas: in fact, this could be done all the way from behind Hyde, down to the Deep Stream on both sides of the Taieri River, except where mining occurs. 180. Would it not be more advisable to reserve that country for a year or two till the railway went through and the flat was settled ? —Yes; I do not know whether I mentioned that before in my evidence; Ido not think I did. I think it would be better not to throw all into the market at once;