To be read into page 1 (facing this) immediately precediny Mr. Atkinson's opening address. Dr. Findlay: May it please your Honours, —I ask, as a preliminary to the proceedings, what hours your Honours may be pleased to sit. May I say, with all respect, that I have to see my witnesses in Dunedin. Unfortunately there are a considerable number of them, and they have just arrived from the South. I have to see them after Court hours, and I find it will impose a considerable burden on me unless I have some margin of the day left after the Court work is over. May 1 ask if the Commission can see its way to adopt the hours which their Honours adopted in the Voucher Commission held in Wellington recently? I think the hours were from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mr. Atkinson: If your Honours will allow me, I shall be pleased to support my friend's suggestion. The burden upon me is heavier than upon him. I have the affirmative to prove, and I have not got any professional assistance. Some of my witnesses are here, but I have not had time yet to see one of them except my main witness—Mr. Meikle himself. Therefore it would be a great relief to me if your Honours can adopt my friend's suggestion. Mr. Justice Edwards: Very well; we think it is reasonable. Dr. Findlay: There is one further matter 1 wish to mention. We have three shorthand-writers here, who undertake to have the evidence taken to-day and the following days ready by the following day, but they cannot undertake to do that with regard to addresses. I think your Honours will remember, where evidence has been taken in previous cases such as these large compensation cases, the addresses are not taken by the shorthand-writers, but merely a verbatim report of the evidence. It would relieve the burden on the shorthand-writers and greatly lessen the expense if the addresses were not reported, and I do not know that the verbatim transcript of my friend's or my own addresses will be of assistance to this Court. I would ask, therefore, that the shorthand-writers be asked merely to take the evidence. Mr. Justice Edwards: I do not think this case is altogether the same. Of course, in compensation cases there is only one question for consideration, and that is as to the value of the land. I hope counsel will be able to assist us materially. I hope they will. Mr. Atkinson : If your Honours will allow me, I was glad to hear your Honour's last remark, but it was not on that ground I mainly intended to rely. I imagine your Honours are so accustomed to noting arguments in the addresses of counsel —and I trust we will be able to afford your Honours some assistance—that I do not think your Honours will need to rely materially on the shorthand-writers; but I do submit, seeing this is not a Court whose award is final —it is a Commission which makes recommendation — and, seeing that to give the recommendation any effect Parliament must proceed upon it, and seeing in fact that this is something in the nature of a' State trial, I submit it is of very high importance if the arguments are going to be reasonable they should be reported. Mr. Justice Edwards: We think so. We think everything should be reported. If it presses too heavily on the shorthand-writers to give us a transcript of the addresses of counsel immediately afterwards, they can postpone that until they have transcribed the evidence.