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418. Hon. Mr. Campbell.) Too many of bad quality, you mean. Who have you now ?—Mr. Foster—he is under Mr. Bayly; Mr. Clifton—he is a new man in tho district, having just come there ; and we have a Sub-Inspector under him, Mr. Miles, who was formerly a policeman. 419. Was that a necessary qualification ?—I cannot say. 420. Mr. Walker.) I would like to know where these gentlemen reside?—l think Mr. Foster resides at Amberley, Mr. Clifton is going to reside at Kaikoura, and Mr. Miles resides there also. 421. Hon. Mr. Campbell.] What is the object of having two Inspectors in one place? 422. Mr. Lance.] Miles-was sent to look after the destruction of rabbits on Crown lands. He appears to have done that work very well. 423. Hon. Mr. Campbell.) Then, because he was found to be very active, an additional service was required of him ; hence he was made Sub-Inspector. 424. Mr, Dodson.) Clause 26, providing for separation of flocks, has not been carried out ?— No ; it has not been carried out. Mr. H. A. Ingles, examined. 425. Hon. the Chairman.) You have had considerable experience in working the Sheep Act?— Yes; I have been fined several times : the Act was put in force against me, convictions were obtained, and I have paid a fine. I have cleared a certain part of the country. 426. How long have you had your run ?—I have had it twenty-two years. There was no scab on it first for about four years after I had the run; but now, and from the present time going backwards, the run has been an infected run. 427. This Act came into force in 1878?— Yes. 428. The Act allowed you three years to clean your sheep, did it not ?—That is one of thesubjects of complaint which I have. It was understood at the time the Act was passed that it took longer to clean sheep in Marlborough, and time was allowed ; but, practically, the whole colony got three years' grace. 429. Then, you say that you should have have had a longer time ? —-Yes, I think so. We were the first men fined for having infected sheep. Mine was, perhaps, the roughest run in New Zealand, and could hardly be clean so soon as others. 430. Do you say there was no special grace given to your country?—To the best of my knowledge there was none in Marlborough : mine was the first conviction under the 23rd clause in Marlborough. 431. Do you complain of its not being put in force in other places ?—I do not say that, but I say that the clauses which gave us time gave the rest of the colony time, and that practically we received no special benefit. 432. You think that, although persons should have been fined, they did not carry out the Act or lay information throughout the colony during the first three years ?—They gave the whole of the colony the same grace. 433. Hon. Mr. Waterhouse.) You must be entirely wrong : Marlborough was exempted?—Tomy certain knowledge it was not carried out in Wellington ; that I do know. 434. I know better than that: I know it was.—And I know it was not, and I can prove what I say. 435. Hon. the Chairman.) You think it a hardship that they did not give you a longer time than three years ?—Yes. 436. Was that because you consider that it was more difficult to clean in your country?— Yes.. 437. Were you taking steps during that period to clean your run ?—Yes. 438. What steps?—l have always had the low parts of my country clean. Lately I have obtained a clean certificate. Although, practically, it was clean for eleven years, there are twenty thousand acres of bush on the run and adjacent to it, and I cannot get the sheep out. 439. Are you using that part of the run in summer?—l do not actually put sheep there, but they go there. 440. Cannot you prevent that ? —No; it cannot be fenced. The Superintendent Inspector's letter bears me out. The Government sent a local Inspector, and he reported that it could be fenced for a small sum. I knew that was ridiculous. Then another came, and said it could be fenced for about double the expense mentioned by the first. And they sent another man (Mr. Foster), who said it could not be fenced at a reasonable outlay. His letter on the subject I produce. 441. Would it not rather be the question where you fenced: how low down?—lt is still impossible ; there are so many w-ater-gates on these mountain torrents. 442. I understand that sheep in the bush are kept away by the sheep going from your flock?— We have always been killing in the bush. 443. Are they scabby in the bush ?—To a certain extent. 444. What have you above that? —Snow. 445. Is it perpetual ?—No. 446. There are Government lands—unoccupied lands—on your boundary ? —Mr. Gibson, in the Clarence Vallej", is on the other side. 447. Are there sheep on that land ?—I have never known any to come from that land. 448. We have it in evidence that one cause of scab in the Clarence Valley was sheep coming off Government land ? —I do not think that Mr. Gibson quite understood the question put to him. He imagined that the range side was Crown land. I have read his evidence, and I put the question to him whether he had ever known my ear-mark in his yards. He said he never knew of it. The fact is that my run is isolated. We never draft with any one, and no one with us. 449. What have you alongside of you?— The range is on one side of me. 450. Are you hounded by th% sea?—l go to it at one place; north, is Waipapa; south, Kaikoura, and the clean portion of the run.