I.—loa

82

F. WAITE

54. In the matter of dealing with their produce ?—Yes, that is so. 55. To deal with their produce without their consent ? —Without their having representation at all. 56. In reference to the question of the pay-out, the evidence that was given was not a question between the proprietary concerns and the co-operative concerns paying out, but as to whether there would be as good a pay-out under the control system as under the present system. Do you think that you would get as good a pay-out under the control system as you do now by dealing with Tooley Street ?—Yes, I think so. 57. Were you present when Mr. H. was giving his evidence ? —I do not think so. 58. He gave evidence to the effect that they were receiving 100-per-cent. advance ? —You can do that if you are fool enough to do so. 59. Do you think you could give that pay-out under control I —Yes, if you wanted to. 60. Seeing that the proprietary concerns are going to get the same price, for their produce as the co-operative concerns will under the control system, what advantage will the co-operative concerns obtain ? —I do not know that it is going to give the co-operative concerns any advantage over the proprietary concerns. 61. It will not be a disadvantage to the proprietary concerns to work under the control system ? —No. 62. They are making a good deal of progress under the present system, are they not ? —To whom do you refer ? 63. To the proprietary concerns ? —I do not think they are making any headway down South. As a matter of fact I think we are giving them the death-knock down where I five. 64. In the Taranaki District they are making huge progress : do you think they will make that progress under control ? —I cannot speak as to the views of Taranaki at all. 65. What is the chief matter in connection with the marketing of our produce ? —The marketing itself. 66. You do not look upon the shipping as the chief matter in connection with the marketing ? —If we can get control of the market we can soon solve the shipping problem. 67. Did you hear what Mr. Forsyth had to say ?• —Yes, partly. 68. Did you not hear him say that if there was a satisfactory shipping arrangement there would be no need to trouble about the marketing ? —I do not think he said that. lam sure he did not mean to say that. 69. I repeated the question on two or three occasions. He stated that very definitely ? —ln the South we consider the compulsory clauses as a lever to get control of the marketing, and that all other matters are subsidiary. We consider that shipping is one of the subsidiary matters. 70. And did not you hear what Mr. Dunlop said, that the voting taken at Dunedin could not be taken as an indication of the feeling of the dairy-farmers in the South Island ?—Mr. Dunlop never said that, surely. 71. Well, I put the question to Mr. Dunlop that, in view of the fact that in many cases there were two votes to a factory, could the votes in Dunedin and Southland be taken as a clear indication of the voting of the dairy-farmers in the South Island for or against the Bill; and did you not hear Mr. Dunlop say that they could not be so taken ? —lt all depends on the definition of a " clear indication." 72. A clear indication is the vote that is given ? —Clause 34 of our regulations states that " Every member paying an annual subscription of £10 or over shall have two votes, and every other member one vote, and no more." Well, that voting does not give you the, number of factories exactly, but it does give you on a tonnage basis an indication of the overwhelming number of factories in the South that are in favour of the Bill. 73. But it does not give the actual position ? —lt does not give it by factories, but it gives it by tonnage, because the big factory has two votes and the smaller one only one. 74. Only by tonnage ? —(No answer.) 75. Mr. Hawken.] I think your opinion is, Mr. Waite, that if if were not for the proprietary interests there would bo practically no opposition to the Bill ? —That is so. There would be merely a negligible opposition. Of course, when you come to look at the proprietary interests that does not merely mean the proprietary factories. There are also the exporting interests, and all the other allied interests. 76. Do you find that the agents employed by the Tooley Street merchants are against the Bill ?— Certainly, every one of them. 77. Do you think that the Tooley Street merchant is against the Bill, or is it his agent here ?— Well, sir, I really have not any definite knowledge on that point, but I do not think that the Tooley Street merchant wants to antagonize the New Zealand dairy-farmer in any way. We send him more cheese than any other country in the world, and we are also very nearly the biggest exporters of butter to Tooley Street. Taking it in pounds of butterfat, we send more butter and cheese home to the Old Country than any other country in the world. Our butter and cheese is absolutely essential to their business, and they do not want to antagonize us. They make most of their money out of the New Zealand dairy-farmer. Ido not think that the Tooley Street house wants to have a row at all. 78. There is no active opposition from Tooley Street so far as you know ?—Of course I am not a member of the Dairy Council. lam just an ordinary farmer, and Ido not come into the big finance part of the business. But I have had a few people chasing me for the output of our factory, and I do not think that they are all against control. 79. Mr. Burnett.] How many factories do you represent ?—Personally ? 80. Are there not a number of federated factories you are representing here to-day ?—I may say that I represent the Waimate, Owaka