Mr Heath said, " dd — r Mr Wood." I said, would you not have done so 1 He replied, " certainly not, we want the money." He said that he was sick tired of the d rotten hole, and wished that he were out of it and in the North Island again where he came from, and that he would not give a pound note for all the land in the district. I offered to work the overdraft out in coal. He had a book before him which he took up, and said, " When I came your overdraft was L 2927, it has crept up to L 3634." That did not inc lude a dishonoured bill for LI2OO. I a3ked him to repeat the figures. He said that the account had kept ci eeping up until it had come to this state, and he had received peremptory instructions not to advance a single penny more. Now he said, "Mackay, understand that I mean what I say."— Mr Bridges had been down shortly before, and Iwanted him to visit the coal pit.— Mr Heath said that I must work mjr business within my then overdraft: and that if he gave a single penny more, he would be treated as the others ; and added, "you have a good business in the Bruce Herald. I do not want to do anything harsh, as that would affect your business, so long as you pay in sufficient to meet your bills and cheques, and do not exceed your present over draft, it will be all right till matters improve, so that I could realise upon the properties. I said that I had few debts outside the Bank, and that it was their interest as much &s my own to maintain my creditj and as long as they stuck by me, I should stick by them ; if it took forty years to wipe off thiir debt, I ' would pay them every penny. He assured me that the Bank would give me every help. I told him that I would report tne conversation,, to Mr Wells, my busi ness manager, who would see him about all matters as they, arose. This was all that passed! Oh the 9th December, I was overdrawn to the amount of L 3634 5s 4d. 