H. LUNDIUS.;

5

I.—sd.

59. You remember Vile's section! —Yes. 60. That is Amy Wilson's section as mentioned in the return? —Yes. it is a 200-acre section. 61. And is a woman entitled to hold 200 acres? —Yes. 62. Now, in regard to Stuckey's sections : do you remember who owned the 600 acres on Section 6?— Yes, Mr. Hammond. 63. Was it in your time that Mr. Stuckey bought Hammond out? —Just when I left there. 64. Do you remember the education reserve? —Yes, Mr. Nataskie had it. 65. Do you know the Awarua Block? —Yes, that is sheep and pastoral country. 66. Do you know T. B. Wilson, of Hunterville?—Yes. 67. Have you any reason to believe that the various Wilsons there are related to each other? —No. 68. Do you know that there are four families and that they are not connected at all?— 1 do not think they are. 69. Who held Sections 65 and 76? —Mr. Brewster and Mr. Whotton. 70. Who lived on the land? —Brewster, I think. 71. Did he have a family up there?— Yes. 72. Do you know Wilson, of Pakihikura? —Yes. 73. Did he have a family there? —I could not say. Campbell used to live on one section. 74. Who is working J. G. Wilson's place?—So far as I know, they work it with their manager. 75. Take Native Reserve No. 25 : in your time was any one living there?— No. 76. Who bought it?— Wilson. 77. And he was the first resident there?—So far as I know. 78. They originally took up the land? —Yes. 79. Has any change taken place since the original holders to the disadvantage of others?— No, only that there is one man there in place of two settlers. 80. What kind of homesteads are on Sections 5 and 6? —There used to be a good house on each of them—a better one on Campbell's than on Smith's. 81. You do not know there is a family living in, each of those houses now? —No. 82. Now, with regard to Gorringe's sections : what class of land is that?— Second class. 83. What is the limit of the holding of that land? —2,000 acres. 84. Two brothers have taken up those sections? —Yes. 85. What was your opinion of that land as compared with the land on the opposite side? —Very many sections on the opposite side of the Kawakawa are fit for dairying. 86. When that land was classified had any one any idea that it would be brought into dairying?— No. 87. Was there any access to that land then? —No, only by the river-bed. 88. If you had been called upon in the early days to classify that land across the Kawakawa in comparison with the land on the opposite side, would you have classified it as first-class land? —No. 89. Do you think when the land at that time was cut up into sections that the sections were abnormally large?—No; I think that land was cut tip into very reasonable areas. 90. Should Gorringe's, McKenzie's, and Brown's land have been classified as first-class land at first? —No. 91. Do you know of your own knowledge that those men have got anything extra since the Land Act of 1912?—N0, they are within the limit. 92. When you made inquiries up there after the charges of aggregation had been made, did you find that in any of those cases that they had under the Act acquired extra areas? —When 1 went up there I did not have the means of finding out who the individual was who had them. 93. You met the editor of the Mangaweka Settler? — Yes. 94. And he gave you his idea?- —Yes. He admitted that so far there had not been very much harm done, but he wished to urge the Government to introduce legislation to stop it in future. 95. Did he admit to you that Stuckey's land was not too large in area?—He admitted that he did not think they had , too large an area. 96. You remember the settlers about Titirangi Road? —Yes. 97. Would you consider 200 acres too much for a man to live on in that district?—No, I think a man would require 600 acres there. 98. Do you know that Houston's section was one that isiuckey acquired? —Yee. 99. What happened to Hutten I —He is at Raurimu, and doing very well. 100. It has been said that the schools have been closed in the district owing to this aggregation going on, and cases have been cited of Karewarewa and Ruahine. You know both of those settlements ?—Yes. 101. Do you know that Karewarewa was cut up under the Village Settlment Act into small areas of 5 or 10 acres? —Yes, up to 30 and 40. 102. As a practical man, and from your knowledge of land-settlement, was it possible for those men at Karewarewa to make a living off those olearings of 5 and 10 acres'!— Not after the roadwork had been done : they were too small. 103. When the roadwork was done and it was found that these men must increase the area to make a living, would you have recommended an increase in the areas? —Yes, I did on several occasions. 104. And did you do the same at Ruahine? —Yes 105. Do you know the Pemberton Small Improved Farm Association ?—Yes. 106. Do you know it was cut up into 70-acre sections?— Yes. 107. Do you think it would be possible to make a living off 70 acres there? —I think it is too small.