H.—27

1909. NEW ZEALAND.

EXCESSIVE MOISTURE IN BUTTER (CORRESPONDENCE IN CONNECTION WITH PROSECUTION FOR).

Return to an Order of the House of Representatives dated the 28th October, 1909. Ordered, " That there be laid before this House copies of all correspondence between the Department of Agriculture and the New Zealand Dairy Association (Limited), of Auckland, in connection with the recent prosecution for alleged excessive moisture in butter."—(Mr. Greenslade.) COERESPONDENCE. Sir,— 22nd November, 1909. With reference to your letter of the 29th September in connection with the relations between your association and the Department of Agriculture, I have now the honour to inform you that your letter has been submitted to Mr. D. Cuddie, Director of the Dairy-produce Division of the Department, who, after going very fully into all the matters to which you referred, has prepared a report, dated the 17th instant, a copy of which I attach hereto. After inquiring very thoroughly into the several allegations contained in your letter, I am of opinion that your association is wrong in concluding that you have been unfairly treated by the Department. I have, &c, Thos. Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, Industries and Commerce, and Tourist and Health Resorts. Wesley Spragg, Esq., Managing Director, New Zealand Dairy Association, Auckland.

Department of Agriculture, Dairy Division, Wellington, 17th November, 1909. With reference to the voluminous memorandum (together with copies of numerous letters) addressed to the Hon. the Minister of Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourists, by Mr. Wesley Spragg, managing director, New Zealand Dairy Association (Limited), on the 29th September last, I beg 1o submit the following answers to the charges contained therein, and preferred against Mr. Thornton, Dairy-produce Grader at Auckland : — 1. Be loss of £100 to New Zealand Dairy Association by having shipment of butter refrozen in Wellington in 1897 : With regard to this charge, I would point out that Mr. Spragg has been repeatedly informed that Mr. Thornton was in no way responsible for this consignment of butter being rejected from shipment: and yet he (Mr. Spragg:) has continued to repeat the charge both privately and in his position as managing director of the New Zealand Dairy Association, and has referred to it from the platform when meeting: his shareholders. As a matter of fact, at the lime this occurred Mr. Spragg was written to by the Secretary for Agriculture, who informed him that the butter was refused by the engineers of the s.s. " Ruapehu " owing to its soft condition. The following is a copy of a letter addressed to Captain Rose, of the New Zealand Shipping Company, by the Secretary for Agriculture, on the subject:— ' ' "Wellington, 20th April, 1897. " Memorandum for Captain Rose. New Zealand Shipping Company, Wellington. " T?e shipment of butter ex ' Rotomahana.' " In a letter from Mr. Spragg on the subject of the rejection of the above when offered for transhipment by the ' Ruapehu ' he writes as follows :— "'You say the ship's people refused to take it. Such action on the part of the shipping company would be contrary to all our previous experience, while your present letter, in the passage which I'have already quoted, says your Crader judged " that it was not in a fit condition to ship." There is no shadow of doubt that it was upon this judgment—formed, to say the least, without

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