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mrews 1OF aA reiluro giving the names of the mt holders of timber limits in the Mas-- and Parry Sourd Free Grant Disricts, %o whose limits the '?nhl rate of,.duss im:-- ued under the Order cf Counc'!l of 4 h abhr. 1871 applies. Also for a orpy of Ahe said O:der in Courcl!, and of the peot|-- Altion ':monhd by certain mill owners an4 manufacturers of the said districts prayilog for a reduo:ion of such daes, with ths sev-- sral names appended to each potitien, Als~, for orples cf all regorts made by any offi ser of the Crown Lands D:partment upor the» sald pellii+n, and the mstters thorsin oam. To Mr. Gibron--Up to 1871 the sams | system was pursusd; previous to 1867 the | overseers aupplied themselves, Wds COMMITTEE This Commilites mot yesterd:y mornlag at 10 o'clock Mr, Bpringere is the onatr. The ait'ing was taken up with a rath>r length-- ercd disccmlon among the mes--bors with referexoe to the relarive {st a of towas and villages in the matter o?ub:' !;e ascom-- modation and ma'ntenanos. Seve al gontle-- «xpresaion to the foellog prevalent in the diatnicte whierein they reaided. PUBLIC ACJOUATS COMMITTEE. Mr, Meredith--Oa Monday next--A4. dress for a return giving the names of the TavrsoiYy, Foeb, 8. This Committee met at 10 a m., » Claake (Wellington) in the chair, J, W. Brincraxvn, recalled, daposed:--To the Chairman--1I received yesterday a re-- quiaition from this Committee for any ten-- Gers, lets, cr:rlou in connection with sup plics furnished to the Dapastment by W. & R G:iffith for colonization roads in the years 1868 74 Inolueive ; Mesars, Wiliam aud Robert Griffish nevar, to my knowlsdge, sent in tenders to the Crown Lands Dapartment for supplies for colormization roads exsopt in tke ytar 1874, which last are la the haods of tbe Commiltse now; nelthor woers any zvlo. liits furrished at acy i ns to my kno * Oge; in all the yeers from 1868 to 1874 there was no competition; up to 1867 tuer-- was no comparison betwsen (i:iflith's goods and others; when buying, I examin«d artt oles or namples; we did not re--oxamloe goods except when romething new war ordered; there were a few complaints from the roads about the goods. To Mr Meredith--I was Instruoted by the Commisaioner to ckange the mode in 18574; the overieers sent in their bille and veuobers for payment of suppliss when thoy selected the supplies themscives; this was previcus to 1867. To Mr, Hardy--The chavge I refer to la 1874 is anking for tenders, To the Chairman--The Dapartment in-- structed the overscers what kind of augplie> to purchase. They woulid supply them-- telves from any conventent pisco whan they could purchaee previous to 1867; it ars. cles were purcbhased waich wore nos allowed by ibe D:partment they would be condemned, and the men themselves have to pay ; it the price of an article was exorbitans« the party mxplylng was written to ; the prices were jadged by what the articles could be got for u":l"o Mr Lauder--I bave trled bo make im provements in the operations of the Dopars: wont aince 1867. To the Onalrman--We are allll making To Nic, Hardy--I don'k think there is auy advantage in ov a'ning tenders for ; roostles it the oificer who buy»s be OEMI of orga-- olty and integrity; I regard Mr, Oa hmear as an expert in the purchsse of grocerics, and a man of capacity and integeity, Improvements, MUKICIPAL INSUCTUTIO®S R. J. Garrtru, reoallod, dop red to the Cbatsmer--The only tender we gave was a price list. We understood that sne offisars ot the Government wir s solloiting prise ilsts {rom other houses. To Mr,. Ferris--I received the memoran. dum from the Committes, 1 did not brivg the figures from my books as to the amount of goods sold to the Gavern. ment in 1868._ The goode were ail aupplied sccordivg to the quotations furnished to the Government officers or samples shown to them; quotations were aubmiited generally at the beginnirg of the year, at which tims we would got the order, supposed to supply the greater part gl the year; wLonbuqnhul- ly got orders and ampplied them withoul nnfih( quotations; in each year this course before the Comm{ittee and gave & m.. M'. was pursued; that would ba the iIndex of the prices at that particulae tims; it prices advanced o# deolinxd _ dar. log the year the CGovarnmasat would be treated as any other good cas.. customer, ond the gocds would be taken withont any fuither test beyond secinog that they agreed with current maiket rates; i1ate was no obange uotll the ohmr in t . eprtag ot 1874, when the bead of the Czown Lands Department war changed; the s#ange was that Casbmen came to the offics +~ get ten-- ders, which we gave him; Canimaa firss tock the tenders in _ the spring | of 1874 ; it was only _ through the Department thit I knew anythlog at all ! abut Usshman; the old quotations were | only writéen out; I think the tenders Cash. man wanted were printe?; I don't see that there was much difference in the mode of doln&dtbh; the groatest difference was that we didn't get the orders; I do not kaow that a betier method of gotting the supplies could be suggested; I think Governmsat a'!-- ways got ar well supplied as any other ocustomer; the goods went to the Government the same as to any one else ; their complaints were very seldom,and never serilous; we always tried to make things right if there were complaints; I would not be able to tell without seeiog the goods if Jaffray's prices ia 1874 were right; the traus-- actlions would be between Mr. Jaffcay and the Governwent ofliser; we knew nothing of ary other than them having coatrol, To Mr, Meredith--The orders were alwags put in writing, and I thiak the overseers always broughy memo. randums of what _ they _ wanted ; 1t would not be prssidle to give the same tea all the year round; an equal value could be got--the sams applies to sugars and syrups; when Mr, Carhman called in 1874 there was notkiog of a speoial nature in the laterview to give an i¢sa that we would not £0% an order ; our dealiogs with the Dspart-- ment, so far as we knew, were quite satle» factory; (:3 nopsls of tenders produced and sbown to witner:); there tenders bsatr out} that, I thiuk, ours wa1 , the falreat price therse; no merobkant would form an opinion without examtiuis; the samples; we always thought that taoe (G>vernuient thould rurpply the men with a good grade ; I do not think thore is any gulde to some of these figures, unlous samples were put beiore them, To Mr Macdovugal! --There aro only three or four gra¢4es cf buyers, and a merchant coun'd castly understand what should be sent; the prices quoted show the jadgwent of the merobants themsclves as to what quality of art'ole should be sent, To Mr Ferrls-- 1t would oot bs un urual for a merchent to agres to furnisa a goveromsnt or contractors with the sawe grate and valae of an article at a stated prics for a particulars peirkcd after zsamples had been examined. To Mr,. Ferris--I hbave been in burlooss filtteen yearr; I don't know that we ever had a written contract of the kind which I have desoribea arnot unusua); I don't know that we over had a contract with the Government or any one elee without the quantlity being specitied, or being pretty weil understood4; we never bad a contract to supply a certain qinla:"y ab a certain price in uniimited quan-- tiiles, To Mr _ Hardy--Oar tsuder wars lowar than Mr, Jiffray's, exorpt for teo; (the wit neas was kere cxamined at some longth as to prices); we would szend the goods #o the neatost statlion, azd send duplicate bills to the Department; we sent shipplog bills scmelimes to Mr, B:iildpletd, whom we al-- ways conaidered the cfficer of the D --part-- ment; our letter of 25 :h August, 1871, was sent to Mr, Cameron bisause wo were glad to see him sppointed; he { is an old personal Casbman samples ia 1874; I think he asked for them; previcus to 1572 the good®= were pot always isspected by ths persons ordering Mr. Macoovaart (Simooae)--Feom your ex-- perienoe as a merchant, do you consider that the so--called tendera astol from merohents by the Crown Lands Dspartment were of any adventege to the Government in respeot to the quality and price of she goods ultimately furrlabed ? Witzess --I don't thisk there is much advantage gained; it depends a greay deal upon the rerpectability of the house; tenders might be asked for and ucfair -.z&m given, ard any loss might be up to the house on subsrqueat orders, so that I don's think the Government would galn muob; I look upon the tsnders prodused as formal tenders; this tender would not be To the Chalrman--1 think we showed Mr.