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up to where we ship the coal. It wants money spent on a little railway and jetty. It would require over £2,000. 45. Your tram-line would have to run along your jetty, so that you could load your coal from the mouth of the mine into the trucks and straight on board. Is the rise and fall of the tide very great? —Bight up to the mouth of the mine it is 6 ft. deep in spring tide, and there is nothing at all at neap tide. 46. How is it when the tide is down ?—lt is dry for a little way. 47. The Chairman.] Mr. Tanner asks what depth you would have at your jetty?—2oft. at high tide and 10 ft. at low water. 48. Mr. Tanner.] Is your coal worked on the rise or dip ?—lt dips into the hills. 49. Would it cost much to get drained?— Very little to drain it. 50. Would you get your water away without any drains ? —Yes. 51. How far have you traced this sft. seam you are working?—lt has been worked off the mud-flat for a mile square, and the other is deeper still, and they have not worked that. A shaft has been sunk in that down for 7 ft. We haye > traced the 5 ft. seam a long way. 52. How far distant is the shaft which strikes the 8 ft. seam from the present place where you ship your coal on the barges?— About two hundred yards inland. Before we work the Bft. seam there wants to be an inclined shaft put down. I propose to work the 5 ft. seam first, and then put an inclined shaft down to the other. 53. Then you have not many difficulties except the want of capital ?—That is the whole thing in our way. 54. You think there are favourable prospects, but limited capital ?—Yes. 55. What is the ordinary price of other companies' coal in Wellington at the wharf?—l do not know. 56. Do you anticipate a good market at 16s. ?—Yes. 57. And you will be able to establish a footing in Wellington ?—Yes. 58. Of what quality do you consider this glance-coal ? Is it equal to Westport ?—No. 59. Is it a lignite ?—lt is in the brown coals. 60. Is it any grade between ordinary coal and lignite ? —lt is in the brown class ; it is not in the gas-coals. 61. Is it in the higher class of brown coals?—lt is the very highest class of brown coals. 62. Do you hold the land freehold or leasehold ?—lt is freehold to Mr. Tame. 63. He has a superficial area of it ? —Yes ; two hundred acres of it. 64. The Chairman.] Do we understand that by expending £2,000 you could have a jetty and a railroad ? —Yes. 65. Mr. Tanner.] And that would enable you to increase your output and diminish your price ? —Yes. 66. The Chairman.] Supposing you had these requisites, at what price could you deliver the coal ?—I told Mr. Tame for 13s. a ton. 67. Of course, if you increased your scale of working—that is, if you employed a larger number of men—it would be done cheaper ?—Yes. 68. Mr. Holland.] What distance would the railway be, and where ?—At Takaka; about a mile and a half, and when that was done all the expense would be done away with. 69. Mr. Tanner.] Are there no other difficulties ?—No; it is quite a flat country. 70. Mr. Holland.] Would £2,000 be a high enough estimate for a railway and jetty?—l may be a little under the mark, but very little. 71. Mr. Tanner.] Has your company made application for a railway to the Government? If a small sum of money, £2,000 or £3,000, would extend it, would not the advantage be in reducing the price of coal, and the benefit go back to the community ?—I think it would be a good return for them. 72. Do you pay any royalty?— Yes; but we do not have to pay 6d., we pay fd. 73. The Chairman] Of course you contribute -Jd. a ton to the miners' fund under the Coalmines Act'? —Yes. Mr. T. F. Botheram, Government Eailway Department, examined. (No. 3.) 74. The Chairman.] You know the purpose for which the Committee requires your evidence. They would like to know the terms and conditions on which the Eailway Department are supplied with coal, and from where they get their supplies?— The department advertise each year for supplies of coal from the whole colony, as per the following specification :— NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS. Terms and Conditions of Contracts for the Supply and Delivery of Coal for the New Zealand Government Bail ways. 1. In these conditions the following words shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them, that is to say:— Minister means the Minister for Eailways for the time being appointed under "The Government Eailways Act, 1894," and includes any responsible Minister of the Crown, being a member of the Executive Council, acting for or on behalf of the said Minister. General Manager means the person for the time being holding the office of General Manager of the New Zealand Eailways. Locomotive Officer means the Locomotive Officer authorised to order, or the District Manager of the railway where the coal is delivered.