On Mr Davies being called, he aaid he wished to object to one of the jvn'ors— =Mr Spratt— who had been heard to make some verY sti'ong remarks ill reference to Briggs, the fdremaii,, to the effect that he would like to string hini vp 1. After some conversation Mr Sprdtt .tpiredj and the inquiry \fras proceeded with; James Richard Davies deposed : I am contractor fdr the swanip ; reclamation works in cpnjurictioii with T,homas Connprj who 1 lives iii Dunedln: I have seen the bodies of the three men killed. They were in my employ. Their names were John Quain, Patrick Clark, and Barteletto Taravero. I am the managing partner in this contract. I have sole charge of the works. John Briggs is my foreman » I have boeli.eygage.cl on, public works of this kind foe 25 years! I have known my foreman for several years as workman, and also as foreman of earth works. I have almost daily visited the works in the Chaucer-road. My foreman was in continuous charge. of the works I arranged with the foreman as to the mode of working this excavation at the outset. The object of my visits lately has been principally to take the men's time. Before commencing _we examined the nature of the soil. The mode of working adopted was to drive an open gullet. It was timbered over with uprights, cap pieces, and longitudinal and transverse pieces. The opening was about nine feet. A truck going into the opening would not fill it. There were small apertures in the roof of the tunnel, so that the earth could run or be shovelled into the trucks. A man could stand alongside the trucks. The timber covering the tunnel would be strong enough to withstand any ordinary fall of earth; Had never contemplated any danger to the men working. I was not awate of the hill being undermined. I was not there on Saturday morning until after the accident. Reclamation is a paying business. The work need not be done irrespective of danger to the men. No men have left my employ in con sequence of the dangerous nature of the work. I discharged six men on Friday last. I was reducing the number of hands, but had nothing against the men. I do not consider myself responsible in any way for the accident of Saturday. 