|"W. H. CLARK.

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276. Would you suggest Government aid? —It would be a very good thing. 277. I fancy that the suggestion of yours to restrict the export of inferior wool or wools of the class you mentioned because of the danger of putting them up improperly would be hardly likely to be carried out. Would you think that proper inspection at the port of shipment, with power to the Inspector to prosecute in the event of their packing damp wool or in the event of wilful neglect or wilful packing, by making it punishable, do you not think that would have a good effect? It would do a lot of good. You see, with scoured and slipe wool there are certain times in the year when it drys externally, and yet it is a most difficult matter to tell when it is dry or not, then to see it on certain days you will examine it and pass it and it is all right; but two or three days afterwards the weather changes and you will find it does not dry. If a man has packed that wool up in the meantime and sent it away, he does it quite honestly in the first place and yet the wool is not dry. 278. Would you think that wool is dangerous?—Yes. 279. When it was at the point that you could hardly tell whether it was moist?—There is always a certain class of wool, and you have to use your judgment to say whether it is not too moist. 280. Have you ever had any trouble with your wool —any serious heating?—Not shipped. I suppose about fifteen years ago I had wool arrive in London marked " Country and since then I have not had this class of wool dumped—always shipped it undumped, certain qualities, and paid the extra freight on it. 281. Did you know anything about the " Beltana " wool?—Yes, I had a considerable quantity of it. 282. Of the damaged wool ?—Yes. 283. But you were not a shipper in that boat?—No, it was shipped in South Australia. 284. Did she not carry the wool away again?—She put into Lyttelton on fire, and after they got the fire out they discharged a lot of the wool. Some three or four hundred bales had been sold, and 1 bought it. They took some of it for treatment, and it was reshipped on the " Beltana." 285. lou did not scour any of the wool that was reshipped?—Not by the " Beltana. 286. Can you tell us the condition the wool was in that you bought?—Very much charred and burned. 287. Inside or outside the bales? —I think it was chiefly outside. 288. Then you would consider the fire originated from some extraneous cause—not in the bale? —Yes. The bales I had were charred all round on the outside from the fire. 289. If the fire originated in the centre of a bale, then the others were damaged as a result of that? —Yes, of course, there was a large quantity of that burned. 290. Was the wool you bought charred on the outside deeply in? —You could hardly say. A lot of the bands were off, and the bales thrown loose in large stacks. 291. Still there were some inches burned all round probably? —Yes, burned all round. 292. The fire was out when you got the wool? —Oh, yes. 293. Would you say that wool will flame under any conditions? —I have never seen it flame. 294. Would you suppose it would ?—I do not think it would. I have seen it very hot, but I have never seen it flame. 295. Have you ever seen molten iron run, and have you ever noticed whether there was any flame apparently over that?—l cannot recollect. 296. Would you think it likely that if a bale was sufficiently hot to become a mass of coke on the outside and also to become red-hot, do you think that would cause flame?—Yes, if it was as wet as that. 297. Because one wool expert has told us that wool will not flame? —Yes. 298. Well, I saw sheep on fire in a grass-fire. You have to have a certain temperature, and it will flame?—lt must do. It would have to be very hot to do it. Of course, the pack around the wool would flame. William Drummond Stewart sworn and examined. (No. 69.) 299. The Chairman] What are you, Mr. Stewart?—l am an auctioneer. 300. For what firm? —Dalgety and Company (Limited). 301. You have had considerable experience in the wool business? —Yes, in different departments. 302. Will you give us some information respecting the conditions under which wool comes under your care, either for sale or otherwise? —I can only really speak of wool with any feeling of authority as far as it is received in the stores for sale, 1 have very little to do with the shipment of wool, and am very seldom at the shipping port. During the wool season, I have, in my capacity as auctioneer, to be in the wool-stores pretty well the whole of the season to supervise the opening-up of the wool for sale, and it is under my notice during the time it is in store here. After that it passes out of my hands. 303. You observe the condition of it as it comes in?—Yes. 304. You have, at times, all classes of wool coining in?—Although the principal portion of it here is greasy wool, we handle a limited quantity of scoured wool, and about the same quantity of slipe wools, but very few lots of the latter pass through the local markets here at, auction. 305. About, the lower qualities, such as pieces, dags, and locks? —Yes, we receive these qualities for sale locally, and, as a rule, they are sold for manipulation by the scourers and subsequent export. 306. And some quantities of these qualities go Home in the grease? —Yes, but the great bulk of it is manipulated by the local scourers.