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Samuel Jiokei.l sworn and examined. (No. 4.) 1. Mr. Weston.\ You are Engineer to I lie Palmerstou North Borough?— Yes. 2. You have made an inspection of the wharf lure with a view to arriving at an estimatt of its present value?— Yes. 8. And you find it is worth =£3,700? —Yes. [See Exhibit D.] 4. You are not a harbour engineer? — No. 1 have had. nothing bo do with this harbour; J have not inspected it in any way. Mr. Myers: No questions.

Philip Joseph Hhnnksst sworn and examined. (No. 5.) 1. Mr. Westo-ti-.] You are a settler residing in Foxlon ?-■ Yes. i have resided here since the 15th October, 1878. 2. Do you remember Mr. Saunders's contract?— Yes. •'i. What did that cover? —It covered the taking-up of tin; railway-line coining down the main street, and shifting the line from the racecourse gate around through the sand-cutting. 4. At I hat time the Government filled in a good deal of the foreshore in order to make their railway on it I —The high-water mark at that time was at the bend where the station stands now. That was filled in from a cutting, and the balance of the stuff was brought from a big cutting at Duncan's hill. 5. Mr. Williams.] What distance was it extended out into the river?—l should think it would be between 2 and •'' chains. At that time the river had more spread. At the time I speak of there was no reclamation —it was a kind of bridgework from the shore out lo deep-water mark. t>. With regard to the wharf originally constructed, were you here when that was constructed? -■-No, the original wharf was there when I came here. The portion of Saunders's contract is the only part that lias been added to it since 1 came here. 7. What was the original, wharf built of? —Totara. (S. We have had it from the Railway Department that 160 ft. built by Andressan cost .£152: do you think that would lie about bhe sum?—At the time of Saunders's contract you could get 0.8. totara at 7s. Gd. per hundred feel delivered, and heart totara would run perhaps 2s. or 3s. per hundred more. !). What would you suppose the whole of the 500 ft. of wharf would cost the Railway Department, looking at the cost of timber in those days and Andressan's contract? —I would calculate it at £(> per foot. 10. Do you think £3,000 ought to cover the whole?— Yes. 11. Thi (.'htii riuaii.\ That is assuming you did not have to reclaim to put the wharf down?— Fes. The reclamation was put there for the convenience of the station and yards. 12. Mr. Wcstoii.\ THey would have to have all the buildings there whether the wharf was there or not? —Yes; they had no other place to put them. 13. Mr. Williams.] Supposing they had decided not to bring the railway to the wharf at all, could they not have found a place without reclaiming?— They could have gone up to the racecourse. 14. And then the people who owned the wharf would have had the trouble of carting their goods to the railway? —Yes, that is so. 15. Was not the reclamation in the interests of tin , wharf in that case? The reclamation was made at that time in the interests of the Railway Department, because this was supposed to be * v * the junction of the Wellington-Wanganui Railway line. There was no talk at that time of the Wellington—Manawatu llailwa)' line. 16. Mr. llannay.] Your estimate does not include the rails?— No. 17. Mr. Weston.] As far as the reclamation is concerned, supposing the wharf had simply lo be erected there, would it have been necessary to have made that reclamation?—No, a simple bridge would have done. 1.8. So that the completeness of thai reclamation was in order to provide the railway and yard? —Yes. 19. You gave evidence, I think, before a. Committee of the House, in 1910? —Yes. 20. This is a copy of your evidence given then [produced—Parliamentary Paper 1.-6b, 1910J? —Yes. 21. With reference to the control of this wharf by the Railway Department, you were in business here until 1912?— Yes, for twenty years. 22. During that time how was tiie wharf administered by the Railway Department from the point of view of the people using the wharf as apart from I he Railway people? —A good part of the time we,sent out carts down to the wharf and got delivery, but latterly the Railway Department refused to give delivery until the whole of the stuff had been tallied oul. 23. Was any effort ever made on the part of the Railway Department to improve tin , wharf and work it in the interests of the harbour?— None whatever. 21. Have any improvements been made in the river between this and the Heads?— They dredged the metal-bank out by the coal-bins and sold .£620 worth of metal to the borough. That deepened the river. 25. With regard to the sheds, are they adequate for the needs of the port?— Just about half. 26. Have you endeavoured to get the Railway Department to improve those sheds in the interests of the port? —We have asked them several times, and they have done nothing. 27. What was the position with regard to Patea, and Waitara, and Wanganui in IBSO, with regard to wharfages then'?—-1 made a personal tour up to Patea and Wanganui. At Wanganui there were two wharves, and at this time the railway-station was at Ridgway Street. It was riot convenient for the Railway to land coal, as they had to go to Aramoho, so they took the foreshore I