[W. L. WRIGHT.

18

I. —12a.

lot of people keep cows till a great age, and keep them in low condition, and when a cow gets over fifteen years of age it is time she was got rid of. 50 Then some of the cattle you referred to, when replying to the Hon. Mr. Duncan, were owned by the proprietors of dairies which may not have been registered I—Yes. They may not have been I have seen cattle which should have been passed out. 51 You spoke a good deal about Dairy Inspectors. How many 'Dairy Inspectors have you come in contact with in your capacity as a dairyman ?—I have come in contact with two in Chnst--52 Do two different Inspectors in Christchurch come in contact with your dairy? —I was statine'the reason why I doubted the qualifications of an Inspector. An Inspector visited a dairy when a man was milking a cow. As droppings from the cow fell on the ground the man moved around with his bucket to hold it away. The young Inspector made the remark, Should he not •ret up and wash that manure away? When this was mentioned to me I said, I wish he had said it to me, for I would not allow a man to use a broom in my shed when milking was going on. 53. You did not see it?— No. 54. Is it hearsay?— Yes, it is hearsay. _ 55. Your doubt is based on hearsay, not on your own observation ?—Yes, I do not doubt my own Inspector. 56. He is one of the two you come in contact with? —Yes. 57. Mr. Witty.] In regard to the diseased cows, you led the Committee to believe that they were mostly outside registered dairies?— There were some in the other dairies as well. Mr. J. Parlane, a former'witness, said: In answer to a question of Mr. McNab, I will supply Mr McNab privately with the name of dairy herds that have never been inspected by a Dairy Inspector with a view of discovering disease. And I will supply him with the name of a person who applied to the Department to have a herd inspected. 1 lion. Mr. Duncan.} Will you state if this dairy was supplying milk to the town I— Yes. 2. Have you any idea of the number of cattle?—-Yes, there would be forty on the premises. Monday, 21st September, 1908. John Watt Deem, Inspector in Charge of the West Coast District of the North Island, Wanganui, examined. (No. 6.) Witness: I have been ten years in Taranaki, and during that time I have been intimately connected with dairying in the capacity of Inspector of Stock. Right from the beginning I have taken a keen interest in the improvement of cowsheds and their surroundings. About five years ago I worked at the question rather keenly in the Hawera district, and endeavoured to do it as systematically as possible with the time at'my disposal. Working it up by degrees, I found that fully 95 per cent, of the people were ready to meet me, and were always anxious to get any suggestions or carry out improvements to the best of their ability. We did not hurry them. Where a man had a place and had done fairly well for a year or two, we allowed him to go on. Invariably the floors were renewed with concrete. I think in that district at the present time 65 to 70 per cent, of the floors are of concrete. Having got the floors into fairly good condition, the question of yards and surroundings was taken up. We were almost at a loss to know what to do. In the winter-time it was mud and in the summer dust. Where it was, impossible to concrete the yard we suggested putting in races. A number of people have put them in. The object of the race is to keep the mud and dust back from the shed. Very good results have followed the installation of the races. I have not found a man yet who has tried them and is not satisfied. This year a lot more have been put in. I have here copies of nearly forty letters from farmers who have put in races, giving their opinions on them. [The letters were handed to the Chairman.] _ I may safely say that 90 per cent, of the farmers in Taranaki welcome some form of inspection. A number of the companies have drawn up very drastic regulations, and have endeavoured to enforce them. As they point out, it is all very well for those who are inclined to do something, but the dilatory ones say, if you want these things done we will go to another company, and so suppliers, when faced with factory regulations, leave their own company and go to another. This naturally disheartens those who would be inclined to improve. Under present conditions it is no use the factory trying to do anything. 1. Mr. Okey.] Your experience has been mostly round the Hawera district?— Yes, during the last four or five years, but, as you know, Mr. Okey, I have been working right through Taranaki. 2. You say settlers have made considerable improvement in that district? —Yes. 3. Settlers there are mostly in a good position?— Yes. 4. On good land? —Yes. 5. Do you think it would be possible for a family going into new country with little money, borrowing to get cows, to comply with these regulations ?—They could comply with them within the meaning of the Department. 6. lam not dealing with the Department, but with the regulations. In a district where there is a difficulty to get gravel for concrete —there are places, as you know, where they have to pack out their butter no roads —what would you do in cases like that? —I would substitute something else till the roads were there. 7. Would it not be quite sufficient if the Inspector had power to educate farmers —not to insist on the carrying-out of regulations, but gradually bring the farmers up to them?— That \ s what we are doing. Ido not think any of the Inspectors carry out the regulations to the strict letter, It would be just as obnoxious to the Inspector as to the farmer,