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48. Well, I do not see how the point you object to makes it unworkable ? —lt is not altogether unworkable, but still, I think it is unnecessary. 49. You have no suggestions to make as to compensation for bad stock ? ' Hon. the Chairman : Yes, he says he thinks the Consolidated Fund ought to pay. 50. Mr. Symes (to witness).] I think I understood you to say that subclause (2) of clause 3 should be struck out—that you objected to it. I suppose you object to it on the ground that farmers and breeders enter into competition with butchers ?—Yes; very considerably in the country districts. 51. Do you not know as a matter of fact that back-bushmen, and also contractors, have to depend on the farmers for their meat ?—No, I do not—not in our district. 52. How long have you lived there ?—Thirteen years. 53. You do not have to go into the back-blocks ? —No ; there are settlers all around. 54. But do you not know men have to work where there are no settlements ?—Well, even then they can pack it to them—say, a distance of twenty miles. 55. But if there were settlers in such a place, and they were willing to kill their bullocks, would you prefer the packed meat or the meat killed near ?—I would prefer the settlers' meat certainly, but would not object to settlers killing outside the boundary as proposed in the Bill. 56. Do you not think that settlers should be allowed to kill their meat within a certain distance ?—Yes, but not to compete with butchers who have to comply with this Act. 57. You do not think five miles far enough?—No, certainly not. 58. You also say that butchers with slaughterhouses should be compensated if public abattoirs be erected: and who do you expect to pay this?— The Government. 59. You say it is the people who are asking for these. Are the people in Palmerston asking for public abattoirs and inspection ? —To a very great extent they are. 60. Does it strike you, then, that the city authorities or County Councils should provide for this sort of thing if it is the people themselves who ask for the abattoirs ?—Well, the Councils are not passing the Bill, but I dare say if they were they would provide some compensation. 61. But I am asking how it would be in the case of a County Council. Do you think they ought to find compensation if any is necessary ? —No, I think the Government ought to do it; the Council have no money for that purpose. 62. You do not, I suppose, object to farmers killing for their own use? —No, certainly not. 63. But you would object to a farmer, if he killed a bullock, and it was rather too much for him, giving some to his neighbour, and the latter afterwards giving him meat in return ?—Yes. 64. Mr. Buchanan.] You say that the butcher's killing-place is kept clean and sweet. What is done with the offal ? —lt is carted away. 65. What is done with it then ?—Do you mean in the colony. 66. In Palmerston ?—ln Palmerston it is all outside the borough. There is no slaughterhouse within the borough. 67. What becomes of the offal then? —Pigs eat the offal; all the offal goes to the paddock. 68. The butcher keeps the pigs himself ? —Yes. Edmund Perrett, of Wanganui, representing the butchers of Wanganui, said: We object to line 20 on page 3. We wish that struck out altogether. We also wish subclause (1) in clause 15 struck out, so that they cannot delegate their powers to any freezing company. In clause 16, subclause (1), we want meat-export slaughterhouses to kill for export only, and that all stock for local consumption shall be killed at one slaughterhouse —a registered abattoir provided for each district. A registered abattoir is what we request. We are perfectly in accord with most of the others of the trade —that is, to have inspection—registered inspection, in fact. We do not object to that at all. All we ask for is that we should be dealt fairly with, and that no large companies like the freezing companies should have any advantage over us. Of course, with reference to private slaughter-yards, we would like to have our slaughter-yards also. But we are perfectly satisfied to go to the public abattoirs built by the Government or the Corporation, as the case may be, and have our meat inspected by proper inspectors appointed; provided that freezing companies are not allowed to retail in the borough or other districts, as the case may be. If they do, we say they ought to have their meat killed at the same place as the ordinary butchers—viz., at the public abattoirs—and have it inspected the same way. We ask for nothing else. 69. Hon. the Chairman.] About compensation : In the event of abattoirs being established, how would that affect butchers in Wanganui? Would they be under a considerable loss?—I may say we are already under that abattoir inspection. We have had a public abattoir for the last nine or ten months. The Government appointed an Inspector, and we are working under that inspection now. 70. Did you suffer loss by having to remove to the public place ? —Yes : a very big loss, too. 71. And you had no compensation ?—No. I must say we are in favour of compensation; and we say the Government ought to compensate us out of the Consolidated Fund, for the reason that it is for the public benefit. They get the benefit and we pay. They ought to pay for it; and that is the simplest and easiest way of dealing with the matter. 72. Was there any considerable sum involved in loss to individuals in Wanganui ?—Yes, something considerable, but I have not the figures. 73. We are talking about the premises? — Not so much in Wanganui as in other places, I believe. Personally, I did not suffer much loss, because my lease was a very short one; but the others have suffered more than I have. 74. Now, about compensation for condemned meat: You say it ought to be borne by the public out of the Consolidated Fund ? —Yes. 75. Mr. Flatman.] You say.you object to subclause (2) of clause 3on page 3?— Yes. 76. Will you give your reasons for objecting to that ?—We do not object if you increase the area. I think the Act says five miles. Well, I myself send carts ten miles from the Borough of