I.—B

10

right, I should like to see that the meat was right, because I have myself seen a tuberculous tumour on the dinner-table. In case of a tuberculous tumour being deeply seated among the muscles or glands, unless the Inspector knows his work it may easily be overlooked. 43. How do you propose to get a qualified staff of Inspectors?—l do not know, lam sure. 44. The Government would of course look to its expert to guide it in this matter, and the committee wants to know?—We should have to import those for the chief centres—qualified veterinary surgeons, and gradually make use of assistant Inspectors for the smaller towns. 45. That would seem to indicate that this Act could not come into force for some time if it were passed this session ?—Yes ; and that is another point that I think this colony might be doing something towards. It might institute a college for teaching some of the young men of the colony some of the elements of veterinary science. Here is a colony that I. have travelled over from one end to another, and find that a man cannot even draw your tooth without having a certificate; but any man can doctor your horse or cut it up without any qualification whatever. There might be a two years' course instituted in which young men in the colony might get the requisite tuition. There are many towns in the colony in which a young man with the requisite qualification could do very well; and they could also be employed as Inspectors of slaughterhouses. 46. In speaking of the substance to be used for stamping you made use of the expression "aniline dye," but it is the aniline dyes that do run? —Oh, no; I have too much to do with staining microscope sections not to know that they will not run; they would not be of any use if they did. Nothing will take them out in certain cases—not even acids or alcohol. I admit that these aniline dyes are not to be had in the colony. Mr. Buchanan : I should like to ask Mr. Bitchie in what form the Inspectors send in reports in eases where they order the killing of stock which are subsequently found to be healthy ? Mr. Bitchie : They report that they were mistaken in their diagnosis, and on their recommendation we pay for the stock. 47. Mr. Wason (to witness)] Do you consider that there are not sufficient qualified men in New Zealand to be Inspectors under this Act ? —I do not know of any. There are one or two men who would make Inspectors along with their private practice. 48. What amount of salary do you think we should have to pay to Inspectors under the Act ? —It depends upon the duties. You might get men of a class from £250 upwards. If you do not give men a sufficient salary, you simply lay them open to temptation. At present the number of veterinary surgeons in the colony is four in the North Island and six in the South Island. 49. Do you think it would be necessary to have qualified veterinary surgeons ?—Yes; nobody will believe the statements of men who are not properly qualified. England is the only country that permits itself to carry on such inspection without qualified men. There is no inspection there worthy of the name. 50. How would you do as to the case mentioned by Mr. Anderson—of stock slaughtered by the growers and sent in to be dealt with by the freezing companies ?—You would just have to make as careful an examination as possible of the carcases; the lungs might be left in for inspection. 51. Do you mean by "qualified men" members of the Eoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons? —Yes ; they are the only people that are qualified. There are only about a dozen in the colony. Probably the large towns would first have abattoirs, and there would probably have to be assistant Inspectors to help the Chief Inspectors in these towns. These assistants could be relegated in course of time to smaller places and be fairly useful, but there would have to be some control over them by the Chief Inspector, so that butchers and others would have confidence in the administration of the Act. Mr. Gilbeet Andeeson, Secretary Christchurch Meat Company (Limited) examined. 62. Hon. the Chairman.] I believe you generally endorse what Mr. Waymouth has said. Would you like to supplement it in any way ; or to deal with any other clause of the Bill ?—No, I agree with the whole of what Mr. Waymouth has stated. Of course, our business differs from that of his company in this way—that we are local butchers as well as export butchers ; and I may say that so far as our local trade is concerned, we are very much in favour of the Bill. I will confess to even having asked the Stock Department to appoint an Inspector for the killing of meat locally. We have a very great suspicion that quite a large number of cattle are killed for local consumption that are really unfit for human food. As far as the local trade is concerned, we are very much in favour of the clauses in the Bill regarding inspection. 63. Do you pin that down to any particular clause?—No; the whole Bill as far as local consumption is concerned. I may state that our company is run on somewhat similar lines to the Gear Company. As far as the inspection of mutton is concerned, no doubt the Inspector's duties would be very simple. As Mr. Waymouth has said, there is virtually no disease among sheep in Canterbury. I do not think that inspection would do any harm if the Government were to go a step further and assure the public at Home that all our meat is absolutely wholesome. I cannot speak with authority in regard to the last few years as to whether there is the same prejudice against frozen meat that existed when I was at Home ; but there was great prejudice then, because it was thought to be unhealthy. If the Government will go a step further than the Bill provides, and will advertise at Home that all the meat that is examined by the Government Inspectors is of the best quality, and only of the best quality, it might do a great deal of good. As to grading : there is no company that grades more than the Christchurch Meat Company. We have to grade for the requirements of our customers. They take lean sheep in one district and fat sheep in another, and certain weights in different districts, and we have to carry our grading to a very high standard. We have a very large number of grades, and really think that it would be impossible to find graders in New Zealand outside of our own staff that could carry on the work. When a grader has left I have had months of trial to get a man to take up the position.