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2537. Are you satisfied with the way in which the Inspectors carry out their inspection there ? —No, lam not. Ido not think tho administration is what it ought to be. 2538. You would recommend the removal of some of the officers, perhaps ?•—I think I should, if I were in Mr. Bayly's place. 2539. Has Mr. Bayly been remiss in not recommending removals, or not reporting in that way? No, I do not think he has. There are papers in the office which would clear him from that imputation. 2540. He has reported upon this ?—Yes. 2541. And recommended certain action? —I am not quite sure that he has recommended an exact line of action, but he has pointed out deficiencies which ought to be cured. 2542. How long ago is that?— Some few months. 2543. It has not been acted upon yet ? —lt was not long before the Atkinson Government went out of office. Since then, there has been a continual change, and such points as that are not taken up. 2544. The Atkinson Government had not time to attend to it ?—They had not time to attend to it. 2545. Does that remark you just made apply to any other district ?—No, I do not think it does. 2546. Taranaki? —There has been a great improvement in Taranaki lately. 2547. Wanganui? —At Wanganui we have one of our best officers in the department. 2548. There again scab seems to break out? —Yes; they have been very successful in concealing scab; but I think we shall soon get rid of it in that district. 2549. Mr. Buchanan.] Is it not a fact that Mr. Richardson was ill upon the occasion of scab breaking out there ? —I think it was. Mr. Richardson has not been so active of late as he was previously. He has been subject to illness, and he has not been so efficient in his duties, but through no fault of his own. 2550. He had a fine reputation in the Wairarapa ?•—Yes ; he is one of our best officers in the department. He was sent up there on that account. 2551. Do you recommend the removing of officers from district to district periodically?—l think it would bo a good thing not to leave a man too long in a district. 2552. He gets friends, I suppose, and finds it difficult to work?— Yes. 2553. With regard to the Wairarapa, are you satisfied with the work there?— Yes, I think the work there is now very good. 2554. There are some very difficult men to deal with in the Wairarapa ?—Extremely difficult; perhaps more so than in other places. 2555. We heard something about Mr. Sutton's removal. What seemed rather strange was that Mr. Bayly went up to the Wairarapa to hear if there were any charges to be made against Mr. Sutton ; but no one met him, and no charges were made ? —Yes. 2556. It seems strange Mr. Bayly should have acted in this way : should have gone there for the purpose, without having got some specified charge before he started. Was it not so ? —Yes, I think it would have been better that he should have had specific charges before him, but he did not. He went up to see what was going on. He did not know tho Wairarapa himself; he had not been through the district before. Complaints having been made of Mr. Sutton, he went up to see the people, make himself acquainted [with the country, see what was going on, and hear any charges any one might bring. No one brought any charges ; but he looked round the district, and came to the conclusion that it would be better to make a change. 2557. With regard to the other districts, are you satisfied with the officers appointed there?—l am not so sure about that. Ido not mean to say lam not satisfied, but I am not able to give a reliable opinion, because I know very little of the country, and I do not know the officers. 2558. I suppose, to a large extent, you judge by results ?—Yes ; and, judging by results, I think we have some very good officers, and I think we have some that are not very good. 2559. Mr. Walker.] Does the department generally look for results in its officers ?—Yes. 2560. Then, if a district remains unaccountably scabby for years, does the department, so to speak, keep that Inspector under a peculiarly sharp eye?^Yes. 2561. It seems almost strange that in the Auckland District there was not some change, does it not ? —I think there will be some change there before very long. 2562. In the case of these rams and this bond being taken, were the Inspectors who laid the informations consulted in each case ?—I cannot answer that question; lam not quite certain. I think they were; but Ido not like to give a positive Yes or No. 2563. Are you not of opinion that, if an active Inspector is doing his best, in laying informations, and finds that the result of a conviction is a remission, or a bond being taken almost against the spirit of the Act, it must of necessity tend to lessen his exertions in the future, and discourage him ?—I do not know that. Ido not think I should feel so if I were the officer. 2564. I am afraid the department has got too much imbued with the prerogative of mercy ? —I think there are some who would not say so. 2565. Has not your experience led you to believe that a scabby district creates a peculiar conscience ? —No ;I do not know it does. Ido not admit that. 2566. Mr. Dodson.) Does not the Inspector visit a district whether there are complaints or not ? —Certainly. 2567. Mr. Bayly's visit to the Wairarapa might have taken .place whether there were any complaints or not ?—Certainly; it must have taken place in the natural course of events. 2568. How long do you think it advisable that the Sub-Inspectors should remain in a district: you said they shofild be changed frequently?—l do not think I said "changed frequently." What I would say is, that I think they should be changed occasionally, every three, four, or five years, or something of that sort. 2569. Hon. the Chairman!) They get allowances for removals, do they not ?—Yes ; they got their expenses paid.