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117. They died from the effects of the fire ?—Yes. 118. Did you sell any of the survivors ? —I put them in the yard at Eakaia. 119. What did they fetch ?—About 7s. 120. I suppose they were not much good ? —No. 121. What do you estimate that flock of ewes and lambs at, Mr. Gardiner, before the fire ?— Bs. 6d. a-piece. 122. That is, six hundred at Bs. 6d.?—Yes. 123. Were the lambs thrown in?—No; the lambs Bs. 6d., and the sheep Bs. 6d. 124. What was the total number of sheep on the place?— Six hundred. 125. Did you lose any rams?— Five. 126. What were they worth each?—£2 10s. 127. And you duly sent in your claim, and finally petitioned the House, setting out the facts as you have told them to us ? —Yes. 128. You have not received any compensation ?—No. 129. You estimate your total damage at £600 ? —Yes. 130. Which you say is a fair and reasonable estimate? —Yes. I may say I never took the measurement of the ground. 131. You never had any communication from Mr. Mackay?—No. 132. You did not solicit his evidence?— No. 133. Nor did any one on your behalf ?—No. I got a letter from Mr. Wason three or four months ago saying the case was going to come on here, and he told me to get my witnesses ready. That is the first time I saw Mr. Mackay. 134. Have you seen Mr. Leitch ?—No. 135. Mr. Beattie.] Do you recollect a fire in the neighbourhood'some time after your fire?— Yes; I was at it. 136. What was said to be the cause of that fire ?—I could not tell you that. I had a place close by the fire, and I ran to get my sheep out of it. That is all I know about that fire. 137. That fire was quite away from the railway-line ?—Yes, it was two or three miles away from it. it, 138. There was no supposition that it was a railway spark that caused that fire ?—No; I heard nothing of that. 139. According to the newspaper report at the time, it was stated, I am told, that the fire originated through a cow treading on a box of matches : did you hear of that ?—lt may have been that, but I did not hear of it. I think, however, it would be easy to find out how that fire occurred. 140. Mr. Macandrew.] Did you see Mr. Coster when he came on to the ground to make a valuation? —No. 141. Mr. Poynton.] Were your place and the Acton Estate the only properties that suffered by that fire?— Mr. Leonard White also suffered by it. 142. Is Mr. White present to day ? —No ; he lives in town. 143. The three you have mentioned were the only sufferers?— Yes. John McLean, sworn. 144. Mr. Lane.] What are you ?—A farmer. 145. Residing in this district ? —Yes. 146. And you have been here for many years ? —Yes. 147. I suppose you know all about sheep and sheep-farming?— Yes, pretty well. 148. Do you remember the fire on the 2nd January, 1897 ?—Yes. 149. You also know Mr. Gardiner and his property well?— Yes; lam an adjoining neighbour. 150. You had frequently seen the grass-crop and the sheep and the fences ?—Yes, and I helped on the day of the fire to put the flames out. 151. All the country-side was helping, I suppose? —-Yes. 152. You had some difficulty in saving the house ? —Yes ; it was the first thing I tried to save. 153. We want you as a farmer to give us some idea of the damage Mr. Gardiner sustained. Let us start at the fences : they were gorse fences were they not ?—Yes, and they were burnt to the ground. 154. At what do you estimate the damage to the fences per chain?—l reckon that ss. 3d. would hardly pay the man. 155. There were 200 acres of grass. You saw the extent of the damage there ?—Yes. I reckon he could not replace it at Bs. an acre, without labour; and then there would be a loss of seven or eight months of the grass. 156. As to the oat-crop: you saw it ?—Yes ; I went through it, trying hard to put the fire out. 157. And there were a lot of people trying to put it out ? —Yes. • 158. They would not do the crop much good ?—No, they injured it more. 159. Can you give us any idea of the probable production, in oat-sheaf or grain, of the field if it had not been for the damage sustained by the fire ? —Mr. Gardiner sold it in oaten-sheaf in the paddock. 160. What do you estimate it would produce per acre in sheaf ?—I should say it would go a ton and a half to the acre. 161. What would you call it in bushels ?—From 32 to 35 bushels an acre for the whole paddock ; but the burning had gone through the heaviest part of the crop and followed the thickest