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1810. What do you recommend ? —ld. per skin. I heard Mr. McDonald's evidence, and he suggested the Government should give Id. per skin for five months in the year. It would mean Jd. per skin all the year round. It is not a bonus at all. 1811. Would you give Id. for all exported? —For everything. But his suggestion was that nothing should be given for any exported, but only that the Government should buy for Id. such skins as were valueless, or not worth Id.; and I am confident that would not meet the difficulty at all. It would be infinitesimal. In the other case, it would mean that the Government would be sharing the loss incurred. 1812. Mr. Lance.] Can you conceive of local bodies or trustees elected for the purpose of keeping out rabbits in country where they have not rabbits at present ?—Yes. That is another thing altogether. 1813. Is it not a fact that Inspectors appoint their agents at present without reference to Wellington ?—I do not think so. I cannot speak confidently, but I have known of one agent who was dismissed, and put back again against the Inspector's desire. I did ask an Inspector once "Are you ever consulted as to an appointment ? " and he said " No." I think if fewer agents were appointed, and the Inspectors were given more travelling allowance, it would be better. 1814. Hon. Mr. Menzies.] I am not sure that I understand the difference between your recommendation and Mr. McDonald's?—Mr. McDonald recommended that a bonus should be given between the 31st November and the 31st March. The difference between us is this McDonald's recommendation is not a bonus at all; it is a recommendation that the Government should purchase all summer skins for Id. that occupiers of property choose to sell. My recommendation is not that the Government should purchase the skins at all, but that Government should pay, as they paid some years ago, upon all skins exported—pay to the exporter; and, as for such skins as are caught in summer months, that are valueless to export, let these be counted by the Inspector, and a little kerosene poured over them, and let them he burned, and a certificate given of the numbers. 1815. You recommend that a bonus of Id. should be given on all skins delivered within the year ?—Yes. 1816. In other words, skins worth more than Id. would not be so delivered?— No. There would be no question of delivery except where skins are destroyed. 1817. Mr. Cowan.] There were 9,666,000 skins exported last year. That tots up to £40,000, at Id. In addition to this, one-half more, possibly, of skins throughout the country would be got which would not be worth anything ?—No—not a twentieth. 1818. The cost of the department is £37,000 per year. Do you not think these sums together would be an excessive amount for the Government to go to ?—lf it were to be annually-recurring no Government could bear it. 1819. From your experience would it not be annually-recurring? —I do not think it would. I should like to add to my evidence that in the resolutions that have been handed in there was a condition attached that the Act ought to be strictly enforced if a bonus is given. The Inspectors recognize that if they were to enforce the Act stringently they would ruin everybody. What is being done is that rabbits are being kept down so as not to injure the grass. It would be better for everybody to throw his country up if the Act is to be enforced stringently and no adequate assistance given. Statement by Mr. G. S. Coopee. Mr. Cooper: What happened in reference to the case mentioned by Mr. Fraser was this: It is perfectly true that a man was dismissed, on reduction, and reinstated. This was about eighteen months ago. Since then the present system has been started, which is, that the Chief Inspector, who resides at Dunedin, and has charge of the whole Provincial District of Otago, has sole control of the appointment and dismissal of these agents. He appoints them on the recommendation of the local Inspectors. All the interference the Government have is to say that in one district there may be three rabbit agents, and in another there shall be two, and so on. The rate of pay ranges from 10s. to 15s. per day. They begin at 10s.; if they work sucessfully, after the first year it is raised to 125.; and in another year it is 15s. More than that the Government do not interfere, and have not for nearly a year. Mr. Fraser : I think that bears out what I said—that the local Inspectors had not the appointments. Hon. the Chairman: The Chief Inspector, who resides in Dunedin, has control over the Inspectors ? Mr. Cooper : Of course, the District Inspectors would have to send their recommendations to the Chief Inspector, and there would be no necessity to send them further.

Wednesday, 23ed June, 1886. Statement by Mr. J. McKenzie, M.H.E. Mr. McKenzie : I wish to state to the Committee that I have had considerable experience in reference to the rabbit question. A portion of the district I live in and represent suffers very badly with rabbits, in the Waihemo County especially, and has done for a good many years back. The settlers have endeavoured to keep down the pest, and have endeavoured to get rid of the rabbits in every possible way. In 1882, before the present Act became law, the settlers in that district, or, rather, a portion of it, formed themselves into a Vigilance Committee, their object being to assist the officers of the department in keeping down the rabbits, and to urge those who were negligent in the matter to do their duty. I may state that the experience of this committee was that the greatest opponents they had to contend with were the officers of the department themselves. The department threw every obstacle in the way of the committee carrying out their intentions, and