H.—29.

54

S. M. ARCUS.

87. So that your opinion is that the Railway Department does everything possible to insure the proper carriage?—l would not say that they do otherwise, because the question is that they are very hardly pushed for rolling-stock sometimes. We have had last season as many as 127 trucks in one day, and that shows there is a big demand on the rolling-stock, and the tarpaulins for these are often in the sheds, and the moment they come in they take them and send them up country. 88. As a general rule, you would say that country wool that is wet has not become wet in transit in the railway-trucks so far as they can prevent it?—The railway people themselves very often cannot prevent it. They put the tarpaulins on, and they do not know of any hole. It mayonly be a pin-hole and yet the water drops through. The greatest trouble, so far as'wet wool is concerned, is in the boats working on the coast, where they work with surf-boats. That is salt water, and if the bales were wet with salt water, 1 was very careful not to allow it to be shipped Home. 89. Are you aware of the condition that the "Waimate" wool arrived at Wellington in— it caught on fire at Napier?—No; that was put on board at Napier, and, of course, we know nothing about it. 90. But it was discharged here for reconditioning?—l believe some of it was discharged for reconditioning. 91. Did you see any of that?—l heard of it, but 1 did not see any of it. 92. Captain Blackburne] Have you ever seen a bale of wool on fire?—No, never in my life. I have seen it generate heat to such an extent some few months ago that you could not put your hand inside. I think that was the wool I mentioned a moment ago. There are wool-spikes made for Captain Bendall for the purpose, and I put one of them in, and when I took it out it was so hot that you could not take hold of it. 93. Do the bands on the bales of wool that have been dumped often burst? —Yes, very often, especially in the early part of the season with the new wool or new clips coming in. There seems to be more spring and more life in it, and more expansion, and if the man puts the bands on too tight they often burst; but, as a rule, after it has been pressed, there is a little slack to go and come on which leave the bales more secure. 94. Mr. Foster] I suppose its extra springiness is due to there being rather more grease in the wool at that time of the year ? —Yes, and not only that, but being the first clip, there would be more life in the wool than at the tail end of the season. 95. Captain Blackburne] Have you seen sparks flying when the bands have burst?—You might. 1 have seen a spark—it is very rare. 96. You do not think there is any possibility of fire from the bands bursting?—No, 1 cannot say that. 1 cannot see how any sparks would occur in a ship by the bands catching one another, because the band is sunk into the bale, and when two bales come together the wool would touch before the bands would touch. 97. Mr. Foster] Have you given any thought to any method for the examination and detection of wool in a bad condition ? —No. I have thought the matter over, but I do not know how it could be done. I have thought that there might possibly be inspection of the wool after it has been dumped before it goes on board ship, but when you come to consider that we deal with something like six thousand bales a day, well, a man would have to cut himself into four pieces to attend to one ship, because when working the four hatches it would be impossible for a man to inspect the wool in that way. There was one boat we had two or three years ago and she took in 4,061 bales in seven hours and a half, and to look after that a man would have to be pretty lively. It does not come from one shed, but different sheds. Formerly, when there were any wet bales, Captain Bendall used to come along and we used to put the wet bales aside, and if wet it used to go away if it was not fit for shipment; others he would keep a note of in his book, and come round the next day to look at. 98. Then Captain Bendall's examination was subsequent to the examination by the Harbour Board officials who told him ?—He had to be notified by us, and then he took the responsibility as to whether the wool was fit for shipment or not. 99. He made an official inspection? —Yes. 100. But he did not find it out in the first place?—Oh, no. He was always informed by our officers where to find the wool. 101. Captain Blackburne] There would not be room in the sheds to keep the wool for a fortnight after it had been dumped?—You would want a 40-acre paddock for that. In January we shipped 47,558 bales of wool; and to keep them for a fortnight—what are the ships going to do in the meantime. 102. Would it be possible to keep just the particular kind of wool that is looked upon as dangerous, such as locks and pieces? —That could be done, but locks and pieces would not be so muchit is a question of accommodation. It could be done, but it would hamper us a great deal. 103. The wool coming from the Gear Company and the Meat Export Company—the large fellmongers —is looked upon by you as practically safe ?—Yes. 104. So that it would be a comparatively small proportion of the wool that there would be danger about? Yes; I should say, for instance, that locks and pieces contain so much animal matter and manure that with the least moisture they would soon generate heat, but there is not a large amount of it. 105. Would it not be possible to keep such bales for a few days in the shed after they had been dumped to see if they generated heat?—lt could be done, but it is a question of accommodation ; every merchant and every company would have to have a separate stack —we could not put them into one stack, and that would hamper the present accommodation of the sheds very much. 106. It would appear there is more danger in shipping wool-sales wool because it is shipped away so rapidly—is not that so?—I should not say that is so, because it has been accumulating for weeks before the sale takes place.