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be absolutely ruined in this way and promising industries destroyed; but the common-sense of the community will assert itself in the long-run, and compel such changes as will leave every roan in the possession of the right to prosecute his calling in a reasonable way without fear of vexatious interference.

Dear Mr. Kinsella, — 7th November, 1905. Your new man, Thornton, is inclined to lie punctilious to a degree. While admiring zeal in the prosecution of a duty, I confess to having grown to like the measure of consideration which your previous representatives have mixed with their officialdom. Tarn afraid from present appearances that the pleasant quality of consideration is to a large extent missing from Thornton's official mind. I am just now in receipt of a note from him, saying that on your instructions all tinned butter for the South Sea islands must now be inspected and graded. This is a departure which I have previously understood was not contemplated, nor desired, nor provided for by the Department. However, I have not much objection to it if the work is to be done at our convenience. You see, we sometimes get urgent orders which we have to prepare right up to the latest hour of shipping. There is therefore no time for formalities and nonsense. The work has to be done or the order has to be declined; and, of course, we prefer to do the work and to retain the business. Thornton wants one clear day's notice. This, I say, we cannot always give. If he will come when we want him, or, failing that, will take something for granted and not balk business, his interference will at least be innocuous, and if any one is pleased with the new arrangement there will not be much to be said against it. If, on the contrary, he is to be an obstructionist, as from many petty incidents I fear he is likely to be, then some of us will pray for his early decease, and for the return of the kind of good sense and official assistance to which we have been used. Our pathway is not any too smootli under the plcasantext circumstances, and T grudge that we should miss the ready assistance which every Grader prior to Thornton has given to us. I believe the latter to be an efficient officer, and an exact one in a wooden-clock sort of way, but my affections do not go out to any extent to mechanism of that kind. We want to continue to feel that your Department exists generally for the sake of the industry and is an assistance to it. Any suggestion that the reverse is the fact is disagreeable to us, and I shall, as lam sure you will, regret any action which will make our relations less cordial. If, without dealing with this growl as a formal complaint, yon can help to smooth matters for us, I shall be glad. Yours, &c.', Weslkt Spragg, Managing Director. J. A. Kinsella, Esq., Department of Agriculture, Wellington.

Dioar Mr. Kinsella,— Bth November, 1905. 'Since writing to you, Messrs. Seegner, Langguth, and Co., clients of ours, have spoken to me about some instructions which they have received from Thornton. At my request they have sent me a copy of the letter which he addressed to them, which T enclose herewith. Part of the butter for this trade is in tins, which cannot possibly be examined after being packed, and upon which the Grader's opinion is neither valuable nor desired. If at any time it is necessary for a Grader's note to go forward with this class of goods, we shall be glad for Mr. Thornton to'see the ]Hitter in course of being packed. Other portions of the order are in 1 Ib. pats, which have not hitherto been graded, the balance being bulk, which is duly graded. Under all the circumstances, lam surprised at his statement that he has received your instructions to take legal proceedings. 1 shall be glad if you will let me know what changes have really taken place in the Dairy Act, or in your enforcement of it. The goods above referred to are shipped by us, and lam annoyed that our friends Messrs. Seegner, Langguth are receiving communications of this kind. The practice adopted by Townshend, and indeed all the Graders up to the present appointment, facilitated business without creating friction. It is a pity that any needless irritation should be created. Yours, &c, Wesley Spragg, Managing Director.

Dear Mr. Kinsei,la,— 19th March, 1906. Following the conversation which you and I had on our run out to Glasgow re buttergrading, I am glad to tell you that the judgment of our factory-managers as to quality is confirmed by letter received from our friends Lovell and Christmas this morning. I should tell you that our men, particularly Morris, of Ngaruawahia, who.se butter has been practically condemned by Thornton, has said that the butter which he has manufactured this year has throughout been of a rather better quality than any he has previously made. Of course, this should be so. We have never been more careful in looking after each department of our work, and our appliances have never been more effective or possibly as effective. Acknowledging the " Gothic's " shipment, which, from account-sales to hand, is shown to have sold for from 2s. to 4s. per hundredweight above current quotations, our friends say, " We are pleased to say that your butter has given universal satisfaction this season. We have never seen it finer than it has been coming up to the present." The anomaly—the thing that I complain of—is that it has never before been graded as badly at this end. Either the judgment of your Grader, or of the sellers, whose opinion is backed by the prices they have realised, must be at fault. As we have talked upon this subject, I think it well to send you this later testimony. Yours, <fee, WESU3Y SpKACIG, Managing Director,

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