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that had been shut out of the " Tongariro." It was taken on board, and put in the cool-chamber. The "Aorangi" went down South to discharge her English cargo, came back, and sailed from here one month after the " Tongariro." I had another fifteen or sixteen hundred packages to go in her when she came back. (As soon as I know when the steamer will be ready to take my butter I wire to my people in the country to send their butter down, and they forward it by vessel or train as the case maybe.) I obtained for the first lot of butter that went on board a bill of lading marked " A," and my people at Home advised me of the following prices : 419 kegs at £2 15s. 6d.; 350 boxes at £117s. 9d. Those are some of the prices, the highest prices, advised in the first bill of lading " A," which was the butter that had been left behind and stored. The following are some of the highest prices advised of the second lot of butter, marked bill of lading "B," which was sold at the same time and which was not stored: 391 kegs at £3 17s. 4d. per hundredweight; 391 boxes at £4 3s. 3d. per hundredweight. I may also say that the great bulk of the butter in the two lots came from the same people. I will give you a specific instance. Fifty boxes branded " Star " were sold in bill of lading "B" at £4 125.; sixty boxes "Star" brand in bill of lading "A" only fetched £3 25.; twenty-two boxes in bill of lading " A," branded " P.D.F." were sold at £2 165.; twenty-five boxes, same brand, in bill of lading "B " fetched £4 12s. And there are a lot of similar instances. 88. The butter in bill of lading " A " was really in your hands a fortnight ?—Yes. 89. It was in the wharf sheds ?—No, I never keep my butter in the wharf sheds. 90. Mr. Walker.] Do you know what Danish and Normandy butter was selling for at the same time your butter fetched £4 125., as a matter of comparison ? —This advice is dated 31st March. The prices for Danish and Normandy butter were: Danish, £5 to £6; Normandy, £4 16s. to £6 4s. 91. The Chairman.] In dealing with butter, you buy separator butter more readily than ordinary butter ? —I do not buy at all. 92. You merely ship ?—I merely ship on consignment. 93. You consider separator butter is the best for export? — Yes, I think it is, though singularly enough I have got the highest price for non-separator butter, but, still, the average is better for separator butter. 94. It is uniform ?-—Yes, it is more uniform. 95. Do you consider a system of grading would be an advantage before shipping from here ? — I have not the slightest doubt it would be if it was practicable. Ido not think it is practicable. 96. Why do you consider it not practicable ?—Because it necessitates the butter being stored here for some considerable time before shipment, and we know it cannot be stored here for that time. We have not the accommodation for storing it of the proper kind. 97. You consider our position is not analogous to that of the Belfast people, the Irish butter dairies ?—You see, at Cork, where the butter is graded, it is made at regular times, and Danish butter, of course, is made under Government supervision, and they are in no great hurry. We have not cool-chambers to store the butter in. If we had, and could allow the butter to be stored there for a week, it would be a very good thing. 98. Who grades Cork butter?—-The manufacturer, I believe. 99. And Normandy ?—The Normandy butter is graded by the manufacturers. 100. You are not referring to Government supervision ? —No. In Normandy the producers are all small farmers, who send their butter to the markets. 101. Mr. Valentine.] The trade has found it desirable, as wholesale buyers, to adopt the system of grading ?—Yes. I think there are four qualities in Normandy butter. 101. Mr. Mackenzie.] Do you know anything about tinned butter?—-Yes, I do; that coming from Normandy. It is mostly margarine. 102. Inferior butter? —Yes. I have tinned some butter, and sent it Home last year, and I am going to send some more, and I hope to be able to make a trade of it. Of course it is in its infancy. 103. We have got a large quantity of butter which might be tinned, and it could be sold as good stuff at a reasonable price, could it not?—l believe it might be, but it costs so much money to tin it. It is necessary to send it Home in certain classes of tins. I could not get the tins made in the colony anywhere. My people had to send the tins out, and, of course, I was put to the extra expense of paying the freight on them. 104. What tin is it? Of what size is it? —Various sizes. I could get the same kind of tin made, but not in the same size. And if I could get the size I could not get the right shape of tin. 105. Are they flat or long tins ? —About as deep as they are broad. 106. It is not capable of being got from the factories ? —I tried everywhere. I could not get them made, and they had to send me out some. They said it was very good butter, and was quite as good as that which they had been accustomed to receive, but the price was too high. It is wanted for South America. 107. Mr. Walker.] Do you ship from here to South America. No, I ship it to England. 108. If it is wanted for South America, instead of sending it in that way, we ought to do a direct trade ?—I suppose we ought to. My people at Home, who do a good trade in this butter with South America, receive their supplies from North America, and they are in hopes of being able to supply South America with New Zealand tinned butter. 109. Mr. Valentine.] You have paid a great deal of attention to the difficulty of handlingbutter, because of its delicate nature and its deterioration in consequence of exposure : do not you think it would be better for the farmers to make cheese rather than butter, cheese being more easy to handle, and there being less chance of damage ? —There is very little in cheese, and there is this : 7ou want a very large quantity of milk to make cheese, and, further, there is no use in sending Home cheese unless it is very uniform in quality. There is a greater risk of farmers making cheese of an uneven quality, shape, and size than there is in making butter,