A.—4b.

Are there any other means of manufacturing home-made liquor ?—They can manufacture what is known as " bug " beer up to, I should say, about 25 per cent. This beer is the simplest beer to make of the lot. The origin of the term is that it is manufactured from some sort of vegetable growth that develops in the brew while it is being made : it is on the same principle as the celebrated " Bulgarian bug " ?• — It may be made from a dozen different kinds of fruit, such as mummy-apple, pineapple, oranges, and other kinds of fruit—in fact, you can make fa'amafu from most fruit that is grown in Samoa. How do you account for the fact that the Natives are showing a disposition towards drink ? — Well, of course, Ido not know the exact reason. The labour is done by the Natives mostly, and consequently they learn how to drink it. They drink it first on trial, and then they get to like it and they brew it for their own consumption. Do you know whether there is any brewed for sale ?—Yes. What is the price per bottle ? —The price varies according to the customer. What is the common price ? —At 2s. per bottle. What is it really worth ? —About IJd. Is it having the opposite effect to what it was intended it would have ?—That is so. Would you like to get prohibition removed for your sake and for others as well ? —Yes, because I think the present system is a danger, and it is a growing danger. The longer this system is kept on, til? greater the danger it is going to be in the future. As I have previously said, I have growing children, and lam always afraid that my own children will get used to this fa'amafu. I can see the effect of it already. Only yesterday morning—that is, in the early hours of the morning—l saw nine " drunks "in motor-cars, and they were Natives. They were not what would be termed dead-drunk, but they were hilariously drunk. Judge MacCormiclc.] The stopping of the importation of this " All in one " will not prevent a person brewing liquor, because there are other materials available ? —ln former times, when the Natives did not see the European manufacture, they were not tempted. The Natives, as we know, are imitators. That is so ; but he has learnt the practice ?— They will discontinue the practice. If liquor is allowed to come in under control, and the European is forbidden to manufacture and brew the present stuff, I think the custom will die out itself. Of course, there would be isolated cases which would take place. Do you mean to suggest that all the Natives have learnt to brew ? —No ; but the evil is spreading. That is the point ?—I know this for a fact. It is spreading ? —Yes. Mr. Meredith.'] Do you think the taste would soon die out ?— Yes, except in isolated cases. Apparently the taste has not died out with the Europeans ?—That is quite different, because they are almost born to it; but these people have never acquired it until recent years. Are you a member of the Chamber of Commerce ? —No, but I used to be. Do you know that the Chamber of Commerce was requested by the Administration to cease selling " All in One " at the trading-stations ? —That I cannot say. You never heard that ? —No. So you would be satisfied to stop selling of " All in One " provided everybody else stopped selling it ? —Yes. If you stopped selling it, then your trade would go to others ?—Yes. Is there any reason why the traders should not say, " We will not sell 1 All in One ' to Natives provided that every one else does it "?—That is a question that I would not like to answer. Would that not get over the difficulty of selling " All in One " to the Natives ? —lf the manufacture of liquor is not stopped I am quite sure it will increase. You mention particularly " All in One " ? —We mention " All in One " because that seeufts to be the easiest to brew, but that does not mean to say that you cannot manufacture it from anything else. Assuming that the Europeans obtain their liquor, it is, is it not, still open to the Natives to use raisins and fruit ? —But the temptation so far as they are concerned is not. like it was before. Even if you were able to have your whisky at night, how does that alter the temptation of the Natives to go and brew pineapple —in other words, the fact that you are able to have your whisky does not affect the Native living in his village ten miles inland ?—The European that is brewing it now is placing before the Natives the temptation ; and if the European is allowed to have his whisky, then the practice complained of will die out. The Natives did not have this temptation before, because they had their /cava. Would not the same temptation exist, so far as the Native is concerned, if the European has whisky in the house and the Native is able to see it ?—I do not think so, because it is too expensive. You suggested that the Native has developed this practice of brewing hop-beer ?—Because it is so cheap to him. They could always manufacture it cheaper by their own brew ? —Yes. I may say that in Samoa example is everything, and if the example was taken away the practice would die out. So far as drinking whisky is concerned, why should they now get the habit of drinking it ? —lt is too expensive ; and you could not set the example to the Natives, because, as I have just said, it costs too much. Then it is not the example of seeing the European drinking it, but it is a fact that the European give them the drink ?—lt is the manufacture. Buying a bottle is quite a different thing to the manufacture of it.

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