[A. E. REMINGTON

1.—12 a.

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aspect I would point out is that if, by reason of the stringency of the regulations, you compel certain of the small dairy-farmers to cease operations (men milking ten, fiiteen, and twenty cows), and you cause only six to eight of these poeple to give up dairying by reason of the regulations, a whole factory might have to close up, because the others would not be able to keep it going. These factories are depending largely on the small suppliers. At Rata there may be a few men milking sixty to a hundred cows, but the number milking ten, fifteen, and twenty is very large. As soon as you shut off the supply of the small milkers you would find the factory could not continue. When the regulations are to be dealt with some provision-could be made in which dairymen who wish to comply with the concreting could communicate with the Department of Agriculture naming the distance from which they had to get the necessary material by rail and road, and an arrangement could be made with the Railway Department that the gravel could be conveyed at a nominal rate, and the same with cement. There are certain portions of the district, fairly close to the railway, where they would make an endeavour to comply with the regulations, but then you would have to assist them in this direction for a year or two. If there is to be a hard and fast regulation of this character, however applicable it may be to flat country where there is decent access, it is impossible of application in back broken country, where dairying is now carried on under great disadvantages. In regard to the configuration of this country, the Minister of Lands saw, when in it, how it slipped up and down, and that they had to exercise considerable ingenuity to make stockyards at all, while it is ideal sheep-country. They have made the best of their conditions, and place their sheds and yards in the best positions. They are, of course, not ideal, and would not comply with anything in these regulations. If they had to shift their cowshed they would not have any place to put "it. They could not go to the expense of making large excavations. 1. Mr. Lang.] In regard to the conveyance of other material in the milk-cart, are there many dairymen in your district who have only one cart I —There is hardly a dairyman who has two carts. Some have to take their cream on a packhorse. Those who have a vehicle have only one. 2. Under these regulations they could not take a dressed pig or live calf in the same cart as their milk?— That would be so. They would be absolutely prohibited from carting anything but milk. 3. What would be the effect of these regulations in your district if they were brought into force?—At the present time they would destroy the dairying industry. James Burgess, Chairman of the Warea Dairy Company, Warea, Taranaki, examined. No. 18.) Witness: I may say I have been a thorough advocate of something being done to bring about an improved milk-supply. I supported the movement at Palmerston. I say this as a preliminary, so that you will not think when I make objections that I am against dairy regulations being introduced. They have been required for years. I shall follow very much on the seine lines as the last witness. With almost everything he said I quite agree. The first objection 1 have to make is that in regard to the removal of manure 30 ft. away from the shed within two hours of milking. In the morning it is advisable to do it, but in the evening on the small farm with only one man to do the milking it is generally quite dark, and he has no time to attend to the carting of manure. I quite agree that the manure should be cleared out of the shed : it could be shoveled out in a few minutes, but being left to the morning should make no difference. It has been stated that the cows would tread through the manure and bring it into the shed. In my experience they did not touch it. It is shoveled out in a heap, and the cows do not tread on it except when horned by another cow. My next objection is in regard to the yards being concreted or paved. In my opinion there are many materials in different localities which can be got to answer the purpose. Some of the formations around our coast from a perfectly clean and dry area, and as good as a paved yard, or even better. I have always had an objection to a paved yard. It has always appeared to me impossible to keep it clean unless it is uncommonly well paved. No shovel will clean between the crevices. The next point I would like to refer to is the provision that before commencing to milk the udder of each cow must be washed. I am perfectly certain that, though it may be desirable, if passed it will be evaded far more than it will be observed. If a man has to milk twenty to twenty-five cows it is late enough before he has milked. Suppose it took two minutes to attend to each cow, it would make him nearly an hour late starting for the factory ; and it is a most essential thing to the factories that they should get their milk in good time. The harm resulting would be more than the good. Then, "every dairyman shall notify the Inspector before commencing to make structural alterations." Well, now, no man can always be certain as to when he is going to make improvements. He is obliged to fit them in with the time he has on his hands. It is almost impossible to know a fortnight before that he is going to do it at that particular time. Then, there is no necessity for the notification. If the improvements are there they are there, to be passed by the Inspector afterwards. The next item is in regard to the washing-up. It is provided that buckets and cans used in milking shall be washed up within two hours of milking, and in the case of cans and other utensils used about the farm within one hour of being emptied. In the case of washing the cans within the specified time, it would be very hard on the small farmer In such a case the man who takes the milk to the factory has to wash the cans when he comes back and in nine cases out of ten he does not get his breakfast before starting for the factory: consequently I consider the limit allowed is too short. The principle that the cans should be washed up as soon as possible is quite right, but 'the limit named is quite impracticable. The regulation which deals with rust on cans is very, very sweeping. I believe three cans out of four after being used only one season will show some signs of rust. If you are going to condemn a can when it shows a speck ot rust it means we shall have to buy new cans every year. Whether it is intended to be literally interpreted Ido not know, but that is what it would amount to. Then the cans must have