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13. How will the trade stand in respect to compensation? Will it be a considerable item?— I do not think it will be excessive. 14. What proportion of butchers are buying by the carcase in Wellington?—A great majority. ' 15. Where do they buy from?— From the wholesale butchers. There are a number combined who do their killing at Miramar, and a number buying dead from the companies and wholesale butchers. The companies are large local traders —the Gear Company, for instance, is a large retailer. 16. The Wellington Meat Company do sell by the carcase, do they not ? —Yes. 17. You recommend that there should be two abattoirs, one at this end of the city and one at Miramar. Why two ?—I think there should be two abattoirs—this end of the town so as to meet the companies half-way in the matter; and also, for the convenience of the other end of Wellington, there should be an abattoir at or near Miramar. 18. Your plan would be to delegate the abattoir-power—to have an abattoir at each of the two companies?—No; I object to delegation most strongly. What I say is that an offer should be made for part of their killing-plant, which would then be taken over by the abattoir authorities. 19. Would you let the public go in there also? —Yes. . 20. Do you think the butchers would be satisfied with that arrangement ?—Yes; all I have spoken to are in accord with that suggestion. 21. Hon. Major Harris.] What is the meaning of " yellow sheep " ? —This is a matter I have thought a great deal over. I have gone through the various organs, and in the great majority of cases where a sheep has been yellow the gall has been practically empty; and I take it that it is simply a case of jaundice, and if that is so it may transmit that disease or something else to the human being, and to be on the safe side in this matter I would treat all yellow sheep as diseased. 22. Mr. Symes.] Have any butchers you represent private slaughterhouses of their own?— They have had, but not now, with a few exceptions. 23. You have a knowledge of the different slaughterhouses in Wellington ? —Yes, all except Miramar. 24. We have had evidence here that one slaughterhouse was valued at over £2,000? —I would not be too sure upon that point. Most of these buildings could be turned to other account—into, say, farm-buildings, &c. At the present time I know one butcher has been approached respecting a bacon-factory being erected at his slaughterhouse. The only thing that delays him is the abattoir question respecting the killing of his pigs. 25. You told us about some meat that was distributed recently that was little better than rejects. I thought the law prevented this sort of thing?— The law does not seem to operate. 26. You know that the inspection now is delegated to one of the Councillors, or to some one they may appoint ?—No ; it is the slaughterhouse inspector, whose duties comprise road inspector, inspector of works, bridges, and other duties to the Hutt County Council. 27. A general handy man?—l suppose so. 28. His inspection, then, consists chiefly of collecting the fees?— Yes ; it is his duty to collect the fees. As a rule the person holding a license is reminded through the post that the fees are due. I should say he knows nothing about meat; in fact, lam not aware that he claims to know anything about it. He is simply a nonentity as regards meat-inspection. A. D. Crawford, Miramar, examined: I wish to make some remarks, generally, upon this Bill, because I stand in rather a peculiar position with regard to some of its provisions. I have slaughterhouses, also yards, at Miramar, and the butchers kill there. I practically act as their agent. I keep the slaughterhouses as they should be kept, so far as proper provision for killing, cleanliness, &c, is concerned. The butchers kill at my place under private arrangement, and pay me certain fees for killing. Generally 1 buy their stock for them, and they either employ me to kill and cart their stock, or they do it themselves. It is a system of my own, and, as far as I can see, it seems to work very well. Stock are so very dear now, that where wholesale butchers are delivering dead stock in town at prices under what is given at the sale-yards, it does not pay any small butchers to kill their own stock when they get it cheaper otherwise. Begarding sections 3 and 4, with reference to bond fide farmers, I will take my own personal position, because it shows how it will affect others besides myself. Practically any farmer is exempt from killing anything at all for sale if he is within three miles from town. If he happens to be five miles out he can kill one body of beef and five head of sheep, besides pigs. So that those who are within three miles, and have the honour of paying heavier rates and taxes, cannot kill for sale ; but the farmer who is further out can kill, and still pays less rates and taxes. I might say that the distance of the Miramar slaughterhouses is within a mile and a half of the city boundary. Section 15, on page 5, of the Bill allows the city authorities to delegate their powers. If this is allowed they will have no expense in putting up public abattoirs : and, reading the Bill as I understand it, it will give a monopoly to the large companies wherever there happen to be large companies. At any rate, I think you will find it will give a monopoly in a very short time, if not at once. It might not do so within the first year, but after that it would undoubtedly give a monopoly to the freezing companies. It points in every way to giving the freezing companies the work of providing abattoirs; and they will, in a short time, provide the meat dead in town to the small butchers, and the small butchers will then be in the same position as tied publichouses. 29. The Chairman.] Supposing the killing were done wholly by the small butchers, this would mean that they would be shopmen and slaughtermen combined ?—Yes, in a sense; the small butcher looks after his own shop.. He employs a man, who does a certain amount of town or retail work and does what killing is required also. Now, with reference to the abattoirs, if an abattoir is erected for any town—take the present position of Wellington, for instance : There is a very large quantity of meat eaten here which comes from the meat-export companies. If they put up public