1.—12b.

[B. H. JOHNSON.

8

150. What is your business?- —About fifty sheep and about six or seven bodies of beef. 151. A week? —Yes. 152. Have you any inspection at all? —No, we have none at present. None of the private slaughterhouses have inspection. 153. Then you are in favour of public abattoirs? —Yes, decidedly so. 154. Hon. Mr. T. Kelly.] Where do you slaughter?—At Mr. Garrett's. 155. Is that in Wellington?—On the road to Johnsonville. 156. How far from the city?— About four miles and a half. 157. And there is no inspection? —No. Only the Meat-export Company and the Gear Company have their meat inspected. 158. How many of you kill at this slaughterhouse? —There are three of vs —Mr. Garrett, Mr. Baker, and myself. 159. What number of bullocks and sheep approximately?— About twenty bullocks and two hundred sheep a week. 160. And the meat is sold in Wellington?— Yes, and Johnsonville. 161. And there is no inspection?— No. 162. Mr. Rhodes.] Are you of the same opinion as the other witnesses with regard to the offal ? Do you think you would lose a certain proportion of the offal if you had to slaughter at the freezing companies' works?—l do not think we should lose more than we do at present. It would be just about the same. 163. You would not gain as regards the offal if the stock were slaughtered in municipal abattoirs?—Oh, yes, decidedly. If abattoirs were erected by the municipal authorities I think we should gain decidedly more of the offal. 164. Mr. McLachlan.] You would prefer a municipal institution to a private one?— Certainly. 165. Where do you find the leakage in the offal? You get the heads when you want them, the heart, the tail, and the carcase? Do you get the paunch and the tripe?—No; we have no facility for working them up in a private slaughteryard. Mr. R. Gii.kes, Butcher, examined. (No. 6.) 166. Hon. the Chairman.] Your name?— Robert Gilkes. 167. Occupation?— Butcher. 168. Place of business? —Courtenay Place, Wellington. 169. Where do you slaughter? —I am not slaughtering anywhere. I get all my meat from the Meat-export Company or the Banks Company. 170. Just as you want it? —Yes. 171. What business do you do? —About six or seven bullocks a week, and a proportionate amount of small stuff, sheep, lambs, and pigs. 172. Do you favour the erection of public abattoirs?—No, sir, I do not. I consider it would inflict a great amount of hardship upon myself and other small butchers. We should have to neglect our businesses in town while we go to the various sales to pick up stock, and in a great many instances we should not be able to get stock. 173. And what about the carriage of small lots down? —From the sales? 174. Yes? —That would have to be taken into consideration as well, undoubtedly. There is no doubt that the very best method of supplying the small butchers is by means of the larger companies. In the first place, all meat supplied to us by the Wellington Meat-export Company is killed under the supervision of a Government Veterinary Surgeon. 175. Is there any particular clause of the Bill j'ou wish to refer to?— The only clause I wish to refer to is the clause which permits the delegation of powers by the municipal authorities. 1 think this power should be delegated to some institution such as the Wellington Meat-export Company. Let their works be made the abattoirs. At the same time Ido not consider it would be right to ask the other companies to pay the abattoirs fees if they are killing stock under proper inspection. These companies have been at great expense in erecting buildings and putting up up-to-date plant for killing stock, and it would not be fair to ask them to pay abattoir fees except when they absolutely make use of the abattoirs. I think lam speaking on behalf of about thirty-four or thirty-five of the retail butchers of Wellington, and I think they are all (situated something similar to myself as regards having to buy their stock. If they have to buy their stock on the hoof and do their killing, &c, they will be at a great disadvantage. 176. How many butchers' shops outside the Gear Company's shops are there in Wellington?— Outside of the Gear Company I think there are about fifty-two or fifty-three. 177. Hon. Mr. T. Kelly.] You do not slaughter yourself at all?—No, sir. 178. You buy?— Yes, from the Wellington Meat-export Company or the Banks Meat Company. The meat I buy from the Wellington Meat-export Company is inspected by a Government Veterinary Surgeon, and the Banks Company will also have inspection when their new premises are erected. 179. You carry on business to more advantage than if you killed yourself?— Undoubtedly. We get a larger percentage of offal from the company than we should get if we killed ourselves. I know this is in flat contradiction to some of the evidence which has been given here this morning. Say, a butcher only buys six bullocks a week, it is possible for him to get twelve tongues or twelve tails. He gets as many ox tongues and suchlike as he requires. 180. He would have to pay extra for them?—Oh, yes; but in the event of a man buying his own stock and having it killed at the company's works, they would not in any way do him out of any of the offal. They would give it to him. 181. You have had it back in that way?— Personally, I have not. But lam absolutely certain about it. In fact you can get your quota of blood if necessary.