6

I.—6a.

for sheep-farming and for a little grain-growing; and I think that all the encouragement possible should be given to small settlers by the Government to enable them to make a start with dairying. 26 Mr Walker.] What would be the cost of erecting a butter-factory to utilise the milk of some two or three hundred cows, suitable for a bush district ?—About £700. Of course the cost would vary according to the locality. In some places the site would cost more money than in others, but that would be a sort of general average. 27. Mr. Mackenzie.] How long would the butter keep that is made in your factory i— We have never fully tested it. Probably after three months we should find it good enough. 28. Have you made any experiments as to the quantity of salt that ought to be used ?—We have been in the habit of using 3 per cent, of salt, but, as the butter was not giving satisfaction at Home, we lately increased it to 5 per cent., and Ido not know what the result of that is. I hear, however, that at the factories I have lately visited about 3 per cent, is the general quantity used. 29. Then as to the quality of salt—do you use it fine ?—Yes. 30 Do you grind it ?—No ;it is fine when we get it. It is what is known as butter-salt. 3L Then what size kegs do you use ?—Kegs to hold 601b. or 701b. of butter are recommended by the London people ; kegs with galvanised hoops ; calico is used on top and bottom of the kegs, and a little salt put on the top and bottom of the kegs. lam going to use totara-wood for making the kegs in future. ' 32. You do not believe in the tawa?—Well, it has been condemned by people who have used it, and we are going to discontinue the use of tawa kegs. 33. Mr. Hamlin.] Has the tawa been dried before using ? —Yes. 34. How has it been dried ?—I believe the tawa kegs are made in Wanganui by a man who, I understand, is a specialist. The kegs were recommended to me by grocers in Dunedin as being the best, but I am afraid I have been misled by them. 35 Mr Mackenzie.] Do you think the mail - steamers should reserve a certain space each voyage for the storage of butter ?—Well, of course that is a matter which the manufacturers would require to arrange with their agents. 36. Mr. Hamlin.] Do you not think the Government might do it when making arrangements with the mail-boats?— Well,' the shipping companies, of course, say they can get no guarantee as to the actual quantity of dairy-produce that they will be required to carry; that in some seasons, when we have a good demand for our butter and cheese in the other colonies, they get little or none to take Home ; then when the colonial markets are glutted we come on them unexpectedly with a rush, when they are probably not prepared for it. That is where the difficulty comes in with them; but I believe in the future we will have very little trouble in getting the space we require There are so many cargo-steamers with freezing accommodation being put on that there will be plenty of space for everybody. ,', . , in n -a 37. Mr. Marchant.] Have you sent Home butter both in boxes and kegs .-— Yes. 38. Do you find any advantage in sending it Home in boxes ?—We have not had the result of our sending it Home in boxes. I fancy the account sales will be in Dunedin. I have been away for a month or five weeks, and I have no definite information on that point. 39. Was the complaint with regard to the tawa kegs that they would not hold the brme— that they allowed the moisture to leak out ? —We have sent the bulk of our butter in tawa kegs, and it has not arrived in good condition. During my recent visits to the factories on the coast here I was told that the tawa kegs had been unsuccessful, and that they intended to use totarakegs. 40. Are you aware of the plan adopted in America, of Dairy Conferences going round and holding sessions at different farmers' houses, where information is given in cheese- andbutter-makmg? —I have heard that such is the case. I have been in America, but I have never seen anything of that; Ido not know anything of it personally. We have been trying to form a dairying association for Otao-o or rather, for the South Island, and we find that it is a most difficult thing to get the dairying people to'act together. This association is to be formed with a view to the dissemination of knowledge, and also with a view to unanimous action in shipping matters, the sale of produce at Home, and other such matters regarding which it would be of benefit for people to act together, but I am afraid that it is going to fall through. 41. Does that not seem to indicate to you the desirableness of a thoroughly competent man beinc appointed, not as Inspector, but as teacher—an expert who would be at the disposal of communities of dairy farmers who might wish to have his services, whose business it would be to travel round the colony periodically to the dairying districts ?—I have said that it might be of service to have a man that people could get advice from if they wished it. I explained that we had model dairies erected at the Dunedin Exhibition for the purpose of affording information to those engaged or interested in dairying pursuits, but they were not taken advantage of. 42. You appear to think that butter would be better sent Home in the freezing-chambers than in the cool-chambers ? —I think so. . 43. Are you aware that there were a series of exhaustive experiments made in Denmark on the subject ?—I do not know. It is entirely different in a freezing-chamber ashore, where attention is given to keeping the temperature at a certain degree, from having the dairy-produce sent by sea, where the outside temperature varies so much, and where there may be want of attention. Freezing at sea is not so reliable. I should not pay much attention to experiments of that sort. ' 44. Still, if it were found that butter was damaged by being kept in a low temperature, below freezing-point, would not the butter be likely to suffer if kept in a low freezing temperature at sea? —I know that butter has been kept from four to six months in freezing-chambers in New Zealand and taken out in splendid order. 15 Do you think that it would not be desirable that butter should be sent a round journey in some of these ships—butter salted with varying proportions of salt, and sent, some of it in the freezingchamber and some of it in a cool-chamber, so. that when it got back to New Zealand a thorough exhaustive comparison could be made between the butter treated differently ?—Oh, that would be very useful.