D. J. HAWKE.]

11

1.—16.

It does not, therefore, make any difference to you whether you milk early or late, because you get your cream away at the same time % —Yes. You heard what Mr. Hookly said with respect to milking an hour earlier in the summer-time : do you consider it would affect the milk ? —Not when you have a good supply of fresh water. We are fortunately situated in the matter of the water-supply. We flood the yards with sfmng water, and it keeps the cream in an excellent condition. We have never had a complaint yet as to our cream. Every farmer is not so fortunate as you arc in that respect —I mean, throughout New Zealand ? — I cannot speak for the North, because this is my first visit to the North Island. How long have you been in Canterbury ? —I landed here in the year 1885. Mr. Girling.'] What would your boys do with the extra hour before it is dark ?- -That extra hour would be used to their own interest. Would they have to get up an hour earlier in the morning ? —Yes. How much time off do they get now ?—I claim from eight to eight hours and a half. Instead of going out in the heat of the day we take a rest. We cannot do that when shearing is on, but at other times I say to my sons arid employees, " Take a rest during the heat of the day." Under the Daylight-saving Bill would they not get an hour's less sleep ?-j~I cannot see that. But they have to get up an hour earlier in the morning ?— Well, they may, from that point of view. The Acting-Chairman. .] 1 wish to compliment you on the way you have given your evidence. Have you had any means of ascertaining how it will affect other neighbouring farmers ? —No. ' Mr. Sidey.] I wish to explain that Mr. Hawke is a perfect stranger to me. He wrote to me congratulating me on getting the second reading of the Bill through, and said that he would, like to give evidence. The Acling-Chairman.] Tell us what amount of land you have got ?—2,600 acres. And what do you carry ? —We are carrying two thousand sheep and fifty cows, two teams, and fifty head of young cattle. Is your dairying more or less of a side line ? —We have had to take up dairying during the last five years simply through the tremendous drop in prices received for steers and other stock. Is it undulating country?- There. is about 75 acres of peat, and the rest is undulating downs. Do you cultivate roots for the cows ?— Yes ; mangolds and swedes. When do you send your cream to the factory ?—Every second day. Are there any cheese-factories in your district ? —No. Well, if there was, and they had to lake your milk every morning, and the factory had to work according to the time set out in this Bill, how would it aflect you ? —lt would not affect us, because the train leaves about 8. It would give us ample time. I'ui if you were milking 100 cows ? -It would give us ample time. When would you start ? —About 4. By the ordinary clock ?—No ; by the new time. Would four hours be enough ?- Yes ; ample time.

Wellington : Friday, 22nij August, 1924. Mr. John Read examined. (No. 5.) The Chairman.] What are you ?—I am president of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council. 1 am also president of the Trades and Labour Council Federation of New Zealand, as well as secretary of various labour organizations. You wish to make a statement to the Committee in regard to the Bill now before it ?—Yes, sir. With respect to the matter under discussion—that is, the Summer Time Bill—l imiy say that I have looked through the Bill, and 1 presume that the essential feature of it is that it is proposed to advance the clock one hour during the summer-time. We had a discussion in the Trades Council last evening with respect to the matter, and during the course of tin- discussion some of our members were tatter inclined to oppose the idea at first, but it was quite, apparent to those who had given any thought at all to the matter that it was due. to the fact that they had not given sufficient consideration to the question involved. I might instance as one so-called argument that was adduced was that, a, labourer who was working out at Seatoun, if the clock was put on an hour, would be inconvenienced because the trams would not be running when he wanted to get to work. Obviously, that argument was ridiculous, because the time would be put on in the case of the Tramway Department just as it would be put on in the case of the workmen, and therefore there was nothing in the argument from that point of view. During the course of the long discussion on the Bill there were three of our delegates present who had lived in Great Britain during the time the Summer Time Bill was in operation there, and it was very significant that the three delegates who had had experience of the conditions under that Bill were the most enthusiastic in support of its adoption here, and undoubtedly they influenced very largely the members of the Council at the meeting, and when we finally took the vote there was only one delegate who voted against it. We could almost say that after a full discussion in the Council we were able to come to practically a unanimous decision on the question. I would like to say that 1 have worked in the timber industry frojn about the year ]903 to 1908, and during that time I was engaged as an engine-driver in the sawmills in the Dannevirke district, and during that period the men engaged in the industry made the time suit them, instead of them having to suit the time. That, sir, is one of the underlying principles of the Bill. In other words, if human beings can see that