42

1.—12 a.

H. E. CAREY.

Mr. Carey made the following statement at a later stage. — In the section referring to milking-machines the last paragraph reads, " The milking-machine when not in use shall not be stored in the cowshed." Could not that read "those portions of the milking-machine" —that is, those portions coming in contact with the milk. The average man using the machine accepts as part of the machine the machine used for driving it. Regulations 25, 28, 14, (a) and (&), 9, and 23 are left to the discretion of the Inspector. Without reflecting in any way on any of the Inspectors, we maintain we are just as able to give an opinion as to what will damage milk as the Inspector. If the regulations are to be administered in this way, there should be a regulation requiring the Inspector to acquire some qualification for his work. I have seen great conflict of opinion between two Inspectors. I have heard one man hold that having bacon in the shed would contaminate milk, and I have heard a medical man say it was rubbish : and I think it is clear by the evidence given by the witnesses that there should be some condition of this sort. F. W. Beechey, Farmer, Ohutu, Utiku, examined. (No. 14.) Mr. Beechey made the following statement: In regard to the regulation concerning concrete floors, in mv district there is no gravel suitable within very many miles. It would have to come by train, and then be carted at a very heavy expense. It is absolutely impossible in the Taihape district for the average farmer to put concrete in. Hon. Mr. McNab pointed out that the regulations allowed wood. Witness: You cannot say that is impervious to water. What other substance but concrete is impervious ? The removal of manure and other offensive matter within two hours was utterly impossible. A man may have to milk fifteen cows on a very small holding, and two or three miles from a factory. The man has to go with the milk. You cannot ask the wife to clear away the manure. Then, the man has his calves, animals to attend to, and he has to get some food himself. It would be an offence in the eyes of the Inspector every day. Then, the regulation requiring a yard sufficiently large to hold all the cows brought in at any one milking, or the yard be 30ft. away and connected by a concrete race. The conditions of my district make this impossible. You could not point out one stockyard on level ground. The land has to be terraced to get the cows into the byre. Another regulation which is impossible with us is that requiring that no liquid manure shall be allowed to flow into a watercourse. Ours is rolling country, and you cannot get away from the natural watercourse. You cannot get away from the drainage difficulty unless you stop the milk industry in the district. I would like to ask why the Inspector should be notified about alterations to dairy premises. Then, the milk must be cooled in a manner approved by the Inspector. We do not know what the Inspector will approve. Then, there is no water-supply perhaps, and the milk has to be cooled by the ordinary system of aeration. Then, there is a regulation that no dairyman shall use a can on which there is any appearance of rust. If this was to rule I venture to say a dairyman in particularly rough country would have to get new cans every three weeks. They are bumped about over particularly rough country, and a can that may be clean in the morning after coming from the factory will show rust before night. We do not consider a little rust is a detriment as long as the cans are clean. One regulation says that a label must be on the can. We think this is very unnecessary. An Inspector can easily find out the owner of a milk-cart. Then, every dairyman shall have his name painted on his cart. For three months of the season you would not see it, even if 2 ft. deep, unless the cart was cleaned down twice a day. In the Taranaki District, where it is unfortunate that they have a lot of factories close together, there is a clause, if this Bill is carried, that should be included to meet an abuse there. This is that when milk is refused at one factory it should also be refused at another. In the Taranaki District referred to the milk refused at one factory is taken in at the next. Taking the regulations as applying to my particular country, we feel we cannot possibly act up to them. It would kill the industry in that district and in many others of a similar nature. I would like the Committee to call Mr. Remington, who knows the district, and has been on nearly every farm in it. The Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones has been with me over our country, and could point out the difficulty in regard to drainage. We maintain under these regulations it would be useless for the Government to cut up land of a rolling nature into dairy-farms. There is nothing in the Bill to help the unfortunate farmer in a small way, who earns every shilling he gets. There is not a man in our district milking cows who is in a position to spend £150 on dairy-shed and yards. In many cases the cream has to be taken to the factory on pack horses. Would you have to paint your name on the pack horse? 1. Mr. Okey.~\ In the bush district where there is no gravel I take it that the farmer has to put down a wooden floor ?—Yes ; wooden blocks or slabs, whichever is most handy. 2. Have you found the present drainage affect the milk in any way?— No. I may say that my particular factory since it has been co-operative has not shipped a box of second-grade butter. 3. Has your factory-manager power to send back inferior milk?—He has not returned one can in four years. 4. Has he the power ?—Yes. He has sole charge. 5. Have you ever heard of a factory-manager being discharged for doing his duty?— Yes; J have heard they have been threatened. 6. You have not heard of a factory-manager being discharged for doing his duty?— No. 7. You think it would be a hardship if the small farmer could not use for ordinary farm-work the cart he uses to take his milk to the factory in? —Yes. 8. What is your experience of the Taranaki District?—l lived in Taranaki some eleven years. 9. Would you be surprised to know that the shareholder of a factory has, according to the by-law, to supply only his own factory?— Yes, I would. 10. You made the statement that if one factory would not take in the milk the supplier could go on to an adjoining factory?—Tt has been done,