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Q.--Did you share in that view?
A. Yes.
Hon. A. LISTER.--Well, our experience has been quite the contrary.
WITNESS.-I am glad to hear it.
Q.-Not one single person has volunteered to come; everyone has had to be brought here, and everyone has said the same thing: "Yes, there has been a good deal of talk,"
•but they could not tell us anything definite. To that, however, there is one exception, which I am sorry to say concerns yourself, but you will probably be able to explain it. One gentleman said, "I will tell you something definite," and he mentioned two cases. One, a report among Contractors that your house at the Peak had been built as a present --had cost nothing, the consideration being that the man who built it was to have work at Tai-tam. I tracked this up to its source as far as I could, and I found it to consist of simple tittle-tattle amongst workmen. However, will you kindly tell us what you paid for that house?
A.-I cannot off-hand, I will tell you approximately, but I cannot tell you exactly. The first payment was for the levelling of the adjoining lot, $1,050; the contract was with CHAN ATAN. I am speaking from memory. The next was an agreement by measure work for levelling the site and constructing some drains, with CHAN Aking, $1,650 or $1,750, I am not certain which, but I think $1,650. The next was after Mr. PRICE had gone home, when I was Acting Surveyor General, and I had no time to make con- tracts. I was anxious to get up to the Peak because Mrs. BowDLER was very sick, and I told CHAN AKING to go and put in the foundations and build two rooms without delay, as I wanted to get up in May. That he did not succeed in doing, and I did not get in until nearly twelve months afterwards. After he had failed in this I entered into a contract with him to finish the house for $4,500.
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Q.-Then you have foundations, two rooms, and finishing the house for $4,500?
Hon. F. B. JOHNSON.-Does that include the $1,650?
A.-No, nothing to do with that. That was for levelling the site and putting drains in. Work was going on at the house from January, 1881, to June, 1882, and it was not finished then; I had to go into it in a rough state. Since then I have built the out dependencies, put the retaining walls, trimmed up the place, and made additions to it. Last year I added one room and bath-room, and I paid on account of that $3,000. The work is not all finished, and I have not settled the accounts.
Q.-Hon. A. LISTER.-So you have more to pay still?
A. Yes.
Q.-Hon. F. B. JOHNSON. To the same Contractor?
A. Yes.