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1154. If the Inspectors had insisted on your neighbours being as zealous as yourself the Tiuisance would have been much less ? —Yes ; I do not suppose I should have had to poison at all. 1155. Then, you admit that the department has not been as successful as it might ?—I would not like to say that. The ground behind us has been like Mahomet's coffin—between heaven and carth —and was only taken up the other day, and that is the difficulty I have had to contend with. 1156. But the smaller men who have not been so successful have not been compelled by the department to do anything? —I told the Inspector the other day that he must see they all do it carefully. 1157. Then, you thought it desirable in your individual capacity to urge the Inspector to do his duty ?—Yes. 1158. Do you expect you will ever get Inspectors, who receive orders from a distance, to take as active steps as the people interested ? —No. 1159. Do you not agree that if there was a local Board elected from men who actually pay the rates they would insist that the Act was carried out ? —lt would help ; the only difficulty I see is from local jealousy. 1160. But would the local jealousy come in if the Board was elected from the actual sufferers, exempting holders under five hundred acres from a vote and from the rate ? —I think that might be a good thing. I would be in favour of trustees elected in that manner, but still the fear of local jealousy comes in. 1161. Have you thought whether steps might be taken to prevent rabbits from spreading into districts which up to this time have not been infected ?—Yes ; districts should have power to spend their sheep-rate for that purpose. 1162. Do you believe it would be possible to stop their further spread for years by erecting fences ?—I think so. 1163. Would not the local bodies be the best to take those steps ? —Yes. 1164. Mr. Buchanan.] Are you aware that under the Act in force previously to the present one it was the duty of the County Councils to enforce the Act where necessary ? —Yes. 1165. Do you know whether or not, in Otago, County Councils did take the necessary steps ? Not so far as I am aware of. 1166. Do you know of any County Council that did ? —I have not heard of one. 1167. Hon. the Chairman.] Are not small holdings chiefly freehold ? —Yes. 1168. You think freeholders would keep rabbits down under the trustee system ? —I think they might, better than now. 1169. Is it right that the rate by which the Inspectors are maintained for rabbit purposes should be confined to those who have sheep only?— Most of those affected by rabbits own sheep. 1170. That is simply an accident?—l know there are a good many who own no sheep at all and have got rabbits? —I think there should be a tax of so much per acre. 1171. Probably the crops are of very great value in these small holdings. Ought they to be exempted ? —They get the benefit of the department, and free of any expenditure. 1172. Do you think that is right ?—No ; I think that all should contribute.

Thursday, 17th June, 1886. Mr. McDonald, Inspector under the Sheep and Eabbit Act, examined. 1173. Hon. the Chairman.] What district are you Inspector for ?—For the Southland District, in the Southland County. 1174. Where are your head-quarters ? —At Gore, in the centre of the district. 1174 a. Have you had much experience with rabbits ?—Six years' experience in the public service, and about ten years' previous to that as a settler. 1175. What does your experience lead you to think ? —That they are decidedly on the decrease in my district. We have now not a fiftieth part of the rabbits we had in 1880 and 1881. 1176. Do you mean that they do not extend over a greater area? —They had extended over all the area previous to an enactment being passed for their suppression. I mean we have so reduced them in numbers that they are considerably less than what they were —certainly not a twentieth part. 1177. I suppose the carrying-capacity of your country has increased?— Yes; very materially increased year by year. Last year we showed an increase in stock of ninety-seven thousand, as compared with the previous year. 1178. What steps have you taken to keep the rabbits down so successfully ?—Universal poisoning. That is the mainspring of our operations in the winter time, and keeping the settlers up to the mark in the summer time. 1179. You use phosphorized grain ?—Chiefly oats. 1180. Oats are preferred ? —They are more handy : lots of people have oats that have no wheat. 1181. Do you think oats are more efficacious than wheat? —Personally, I do not think there is much to choose between them. The rabbit is a curious little animal: he will sometimes take wheat when he will not take oats, and vice versa. 1182. Could you lay down a rule as to the particular time when they will take oats before wheat ?—lt is a mere matter of chance, I think. 1183. Your poison is phosphorus?— Yes. 1184. Have you tried any other poison—arsenic for instance ?—I did not try it before I joined the public service ; but when I did try it, it was not successful. It would kill every thing but rabbits,, but I did not find that they took it.