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2. Mr. Groivther.] What did you overdraw it for ?—lt is according to the horse-power. You cannot gauge the exact quantities of oil you might use. Some steam-vessels require double as much as others. I have been on vessels that require 2-J gallons per day for lubricating purposes, while some require 5 gallons per day, and the engines required it all, and you cannot explain it. 3. The Chairman.} You know the " Huia " schooner, which trades between Lyttelton and Kaipara. Can you say how much that vessel uses per hour when running all her engines ?—Perhaps half a pint for every brake horse-power per hour. 4. What is her brake power?— Perhaps forty. 5. That would be 20 pints, or 2-J- gallons ?—Yes. It all depends upon the size of the machinery, and how the engine works also; also upon the class of oil used. Some oil is better than others, and some oil is not of the same quality every shipment. 6. You say all these oil-engines are imported from America ?—Nearly all; the majority. Dp to quite recently they were. Ido not think you will find half a dozen vessels in New Zealand with auxiliary oil-engines that were not imported. 7. Where do those come from that are not imported from America ?—They are built in Auckland. 8. Then, there is a factory for the manufacture of oil-engines in Auckland ?—Yes ; I think it was in use for perhaps a year or eighteen months, and then stopped, but I think it re-started again. It was not working in Auckland in February last, so far as I know. I visited Mr. Henderson, the late manager, and took great interest in the shop, and saw all parts of the machinery. I always visit these shops wherever I am to see what they are doing. 9. Was it because there was no work being done in the factory that you omitted to mention it in your report ? —That is partly the reason. I thought they had stopped the manufacture. I knew it was the only shop that did make them in New Zealand. 10. It was given in evidence yesterday that oil-engines were being manufactured there, and we could not understand why you had omitted to mention it in your report ?—Yes. 11. You were going to give a further explanation for not putting it in your report ? —Mr. Henderson mentioned to me that he would probably start another shop, in a letter last week to me, for gas- and oil-machinery, and from that I understood, seeing that he had left his old shop, and as he told me, over a year ago, that possibly the shop stopped altogether, I thought it might not go on again. 12. Mr. Houston.] Are you a certificated engineer yourself ?—Yes. 13. Have you seen any oil-engines working? —Yes. 14. Have you been on board a vessel when an oil-engine was working?— Yea. 15. You saw it working?— Yes. 16. Do you understand how to work these oil-engines?— Yes, I do. 17. Did you try to start that engine you saw on board that vessel ?—No. 18. Do you know the name of the vessel ?—The " Aotea." 19. Have you been on any other vessel which had an oil-engine on board ?—Yes, one of Bluck's launches in Auckland Harbour. It was amongst the earlier productions of the Century Motor Power Company, who manufactured gas- and oil-engines in Auckland. 20. Mr. Crowther.] Do you say they had manufactured gas-engines in Auckland ?—Yes. The same company that I said had stopped. 21. Mr. Houston.] Was any one with you when you went on board the vessel in Auckland?— Yes, the captain. 22. What is his name?—l do not remember his name. 23. When was it?—l could not tell you. 24. The Chairman.] Was it a month, a year, or two years ago ? —Perhaps eighteen months ago. 25. Mr. Houston.] Was the Minister of Marine with you?— No. • 26. Were you not in Auckland with the Minister of Marine eighteen months ago ?—I was there at the time,but I did not see him. 27. Can you assure the Committee positively that you were not on board one of those vessels with the Minister of Marine ?—Quite sure. He was there when I was in Auckland, but I did not see him personally. 28. You say in this report, in reference to clause 2 of the petition, which says " That the introduction of oil-engines as an auxiliary power to sailing-vessels has been of such benefit to shipowners that it is now being adopted in almost every case where practicable," that this is not true ?—ln this case I referred to a new ketch built by Mr. Brown for the Northern Steamship Company. This was supposed to be fitted with oil-machinery, but they got the advice of expert people about Auckland and decided that in the interests of their trade they would not fit the oilengine on board. They fitted a twin-screw steam-power engine on board. The name of the vessel is the " Waimana." [Telegram read.] 29. The Chairman.] You telegraphed, then, for the name of the vessel ?—Yes. 30. What did you say in the telegram ?—I asked for the name of the twin-screw vessel for Whakatane trade. It was being built at Whangaroa in February last, and it has not been surveyed yet. They decided, after getting expert evidence in Auckland, to put in steam machinery. 31. Mr. Houston.] What was the expert evidence ?—They got the evidence of our enginemen, and took the results of our engineers and their own engineers. They have had an oil-engine at the Thames. They fixed one oil-engine in and took it out again. It was imported from England. They chucked this engine out because it caused so much trouble. It jibbed on almost every occasion, and then they put another engine in. 32. The Chairman.] Is it still in the boat?— Yes. 33. Mr. Houston.] What proof can you bring to support that statement?— The superintending engineer of the company.