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712. Would you advocate the local management of the Sheep Act, instead of the central management ? —No. 713. Captain Russell.) You say you have fenced 7,000 ft. above the sea-level: can you say what is the cost per mile of keeping that in repair?— Yes. There is one man who looks after between twenty-seven and thirty miles. 714. That is in the summer ?—Summer and winter. 715. Can he work in the winter?— Part of the time. 716. As a matter of fact, does it not run along the top of the range for the greater part?—No; it crosses gullies here and there. 717. But it is some of the highest country in the district? As high as Ingles's?—Yes. 718. Mr. Harper.) Do you know Gibson's country ?—Yes. 719. There is no reason why he should not be able to clean his sheep?—lt is all a matter of fencing. 720. It would not be a harder matter for him to tackle than for you ?—No. 721. Mr. Dodson.) There is no difficulty in the fencing itself?— The watercourses are more difficult. 722. Did you fence all the watercourses?—l have flood-gates—miles of them. 723. Hon. the Chairman.) You began cleaning in 1878 : then, you did not wait for the three years that were allowed to Marlborough ?—No. 724. You found the result of putting up fences immediately ? —No sooner had I done fencing than I was astonished at the result. I found my sheep to be clean in a very short time—that is with subdivisions. 725. You were able to get them clean in a short time?— Yes. 726. Have you found the results satisfactory since you threw out the outside country ? —Yes ; I carry more sheep inside the fences. We are doing better altogether. 727. Then, you think, quite apart from that, that fencing has been a very good investment ?— There is no doubt fencing always pays. There is no doubt it is hard to find the money to put it up. It is most expensive work, but it is money well invested. 728. Mr. Lance.) What is about the cost per mile ?—lt depends on packing. If you can lay the stuff on the ground it would not cost so much. If the horses can lay down a load, say, in two days, the cost would be about £68 a mile. 729. Does that include flood-gates?— Everything. 730. Is that the outside ? —£7o would be about the outside. 731. What wire do you use? -The wire I use is steel wire: it is light for packing: it is the best material. 732. Do you not find it affected by the snow?-—Heat or cold has no effect upon it. 733. Hon the Chairman.) Whose brand is that? —It is the same as they use in the Telegraph Department. 734. I have heard that some of this steel wire is not good ?—Some of that black wire is not good. I imported this from Home. 735. What is your opinion as to materials for dipping in case of scab?—l should say that where there is s 3ab the owner ought to be made to use lime and sulphur, for we know that is a certain cure. I would not run any risk in such a case. 736. Would you amend the Act so that the Inspector should be compelled to order a person who has scabby sheep that he must dip them in lime and sulphur ?—Yes. 737. Would you insist upon it for any other things, such as ticks and lice ?—For scab it is the safest and best in every way. We know it is a cure, and you can always tell when you have good lime and sulphur. If Little's dip had not been a failure with me, I should have been clean six months ago. 738. Did you use it from choice? —The scab was very slight, and I thought the stuff was all right. I dipped twice. 739. Were you ever fined for not having your sheep clean ?—Yes; on one run. 740. Was the fine enforced?—lt has not been enforced. They gave me three months, and if the sheep should be clean by that time it was to be remitted. 741. If you were cleaned in three months ?—There were nine months expired, and I asked them to let it stop over for three months. 742. Have there been nany convictions under the Act in your district ? —Not many. 743. Have the fines generally been enforced ? —I think they have not been enforced. Ido not know any that was enforced.

Thursday, 18th September, 1884. Mr. J. Ward, examined. 744. Hon. the Chairman.) You are living near Blenheim: do you own a run in the Kaikoura District ? —Yes ; it is now let to Mr. Walter Gibson, so that I have all my interest there yet. 745. Which run is it ? —The Clarence or Warden and Tytlor Bun. 746. Have you also the Green Hills Beserve ? —lt is the only reserve for shearing. It is called the Clarence Reserve. There are about eighteen hundred acres of flat land. You come down the spur to dip. The highest part of the reserve over which we drive is about five thousand feet above the sea, and sixteen miles to Kaikoura. 747. It is impossible to shear elsewhere? —Quite impossible. 748. How long has the run been infected?—l took it up in 1858. It was perfectly clean for something like four years. We then caught scab. I was obliged to drive over to Kaikoura to shear for two or three years before the reserve was made. B—l. 5.