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[G. A. ELLIS.

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172. What experience have you had of the business? —I have had twenty-seven years' experience. 173. Can you detail to us the system by which you carry out your fellmongery? How do you receive the wool in the first place?—First of all, we take the skins from the freezing-works; they are treated with sodium and lime to take the wool off, and when this has been done they are sliped. The wool is then dried in the driers, and then put in the loft for three days. 174. That is, after it comes from the driers? —Yes. It is then placed in the sheds for about three days—in fact, in some instances, it remains for as much as four months before going away. Ultimately we send it to be dumped. 175. Who bales it? —We do. We have men baling it in the works. It is packed up there. 176. What is the minimum of time within which you bale up the wool after it comes from the driers? —From two to three days is the shortest time. We never bale anything with heat in it. 177. What is the minimum time for cooling it down? —Not less than two or three days. 178. You never bale it in one day after passing through the driers? —No, never. 179. Could it be cooled down in one day?—lf it was opened up it might cool down in that time, but you would have to turn it to assist it in doing so. 180. Mr. Foster] Do you fellmonger many besides factory skins? —All on commission. We do not own 'an ounce of wool in the place. 181. You do not take butchers' skins? —No; purely factory skins. For shareholders we take skins from their stations and work them. 182. Have you had any trouble in the nature of your wool being returned to you? —No, never. 183. How long have you been at Belfast?—Twelve years. And during that time the only wool 1 have had damp was some we had from the " Oswestry Grange," which was wet in transit, 184. Have you any assurance that it was wet in transit? —There is no doubt about that, It was wet through the sheeting; that was at the same time as Mr. Hill's wool was damp. That was the first wool we have had damp. 185. Have you had any advices as to the condition of any of the wool arriving in London ex "Gothic"? —We had advice that it arrived in good condition. I only know by the letter which you have heard read. 186. Was all your wool ex " Gothic " absolutely sold?—I could not say for certain. No, some was withdrawn. 187. It was all offered? —Yes. 188. Your brand is " C F M " in a rhomboid? —Yes. 189. You have not heard that one bale of that, at any rate, suffered from fire?—Not officially. 190. Why not officially?—Well, not officially. 191. Do you know otherwise? —Only from what I heard in the street. 192. Do you know?- —No, I do not. 193. How do you treat your skins for fellmongery purposes? You heard what Mr. Hill said: do you follow the same process exactly ?—No, we dolly them first before painting them " 194. After that you follow the same process?—Yes, we paint them after we have dollied them. 195. You trim them to take off all the bloody parts, then you wash them and sweat them in order to take the wool off them? —Yes. 196. How would you describe the wool from bloody parts when it becomes baled? —With the brand and a letter. In the invoice of the shipment the quality would be described as scoured pieces. 197. You would not put on the specification ' sliped wool "?—No, that is washed stuff. 198. Are you always careful to avoid putting any pieces of skin or fat in with that? —Yes. 199. There is no likelihood of its getting in?—No, not with ordinary care. At least, there is not supposed to be any. 200. What supervision is there to correct any possibility of its getting in?—l see to it. We have men taking it off and picking it over, and'we have it picked over again when it has gone through the scouring-machines. 201. Are you satisfied that this supervision is sufficient to insure nothing passing through which should not?—Yes. We have put through fifty-one thousand bales, and have never had any trouble yet. That speaks for itself. 202. You use only sulphide of soda and lime?—Yes. 203. Do you know of any other chemicals being in use for the purpose?—l do not know of any being in use. Thev have been trying ammonia and other things, but it has been found to be too slow. 204. The Chairman] Why try them if they were too slow?—We did not know that they were too slow till we tried them. 205. Was there any trouble with your present process?—No, we thought this new process might be an improvement, 206. And you were not satisfied with the new process?—No. 207. Had "you any wool marked " C F M " over " Bramdean " ?—Yes. 208. Is that your own mark? —No, it is " C F M " ; the " Bramdean " is the owners' mark. 209. Would that be from frozen skins? —Yes. 210. Do you remember the description of any wool of that brand shipped per "Gothic"?— Mostly lambs' wool that I can remember. 211. Do you remember if any of it was dirty?—lt was nice clean wool, as fine as we turn out. I suppose that " Bramdean " wool had been about the place for some considerable time. We started on it, on the 3rd January. 212. The parcel I refer to" was shipped by the "Gothic"?—Yes, that was the shipment we made. I think she left here about April. Some of that wool was in the place for about four or five months. We started freezing in November, and the first of that wool we got would be about