Mr. J. M. Craig. continued,

271-2. The CHAIRMAN: This is from a report from London, 7th December, 1900, on the frozen rabbit trade: "This trade is in an utterly demoralised state, and its future is bleak. The supplies are overdone; at the present rate your shippers are sending forward 20,000 tons a year, and great as is the capacity of our public to deal with food supplies, this is too much of a good thing."

273. By Mr. Richardson: Is it possible to start rabbits breeding on poor country and keep them out of good?—It would depend upon the fence and supervision.

274. Once you have introduced them with a view of letting them breed on the bad country?—I think it would be a bad thing to introduce rabbits on bad country and risk their getting on the good.

275. Do you think it would be a bad thing with any idea of starting a rabbit industry?—Of course it would.

276. Have you any knowledge, from your reading on the matter, of chances of introducing disease amongst the rabbits?—Chicken cholera is the only disease, I know of, but that has been tried with no degree of success. It seems to only succeed where the colonies are thick.

277. Where the colonies are thick?—Yes.

278. Has the effect of that been the depletion of numbers largely?—Well, not so much as was expected of it, I think.

279. By Mr. Harper: Have you a report of that?—It is in the reports here.

280. By Hon. R. G. Burges: I suppose it dies out? Is it one continual thing?—Rabbits have to be in thick colonies.

281. Then it dies out?—No.

282. It is continued disease, is it?—Yes.

283. By the Chairman: With regard to that, I think you will find it referred to in the report of the rabbit conference which sat in Sydney. It is Pasteur's chicken cholera?—Yes.

284. They rather condemned it; but J. C. Pound, who is the greatest authority on sheep also, recommended it?—Yes; that is where there are colonies. It has been amongst our opossums, and we have tried to get samples, but we have failed so far, and we have engaged with an inspector of police to obtain specimens.

285. Do you know of anything specially peculiar to Western Australian pastures; that is to the good pastures, the pastoral area; any special peculiarity about them to lead one to suppose the rabbits would not thrive and flourish in the same way as in the Eastern colonies?—No; except the fact that they have been here many years ago, and failed.

286. Does it not occur to you that an isolated colony, with its natural enemies all round it, is no criterion of what the effect would be of rabbits coming in a large number with their enemies in a minority?—They have not more enemies than the kangaroo. They are only in very small numbers. Still, they die out.

287. Are you aware it is a fact that in Victoria they started numerous little colonies of rabbits in various parts, and they did not increase for some years, and that when the increase did take place it was a cause of general rejoicing to find enough rabbits for a shooting party?—Yes; but I never heard that they were slow.

288. Yes. For years they tried to introduce them, 14 miles from where I lived, and they ultimately succeeded in getting sufficient numbers for the Duke of Edinburgh to shoot?—He was the first allowed to shoot.

289. There was general rejoicing?—Yes.

290. Which was converted to general sorrow a few years afterwards?—Yes.

291. I do not know whether I brought out that point clearly enough as to whether you consider there is anything peculiar about our pasture?—No doubt there is; there is poison land.

292. No, no; but about our good pastoral country?—A lot of our pastoral land is infested with poison; a very great variety of poison.

293. North Murchison and right away?—Oh no; in the Northern areas there is nothing to prevent them going in.

294. Have we not millions of acres of good pastoral land country on which any reasonable man would suppose the rabbits must flourish if they get there?—Undoubtedly there is.

295. By Mr. D. Forrest: Can you tell me this; Up in the North (Ashburton, for instance) when I went there 23 years ago there was nothing but a mass of rats, wallabies, mice, and all that kind of thing. For the last five, six, or seven years there is not one to be seen anywhere?—I cannot account for it, unless it is disease.

296. By Mr. Richardson: In Queensland they have an inroad of mice; millions of them?—At Champion Bay there were numbers of animals 30 years ago; but for the last 15 years there has not been one.

297. By Mr. Wittenoom: You spoke about the meat supply. How do you reckon that the price of local meat is regulated?—By the importers.

298. You say that if the whole of the stations disappeared you do not think it would alter the price of meat?—I do not think it would. I could not see it would. When there is a lot available in the other States, we get it at a price that pays the importer.

299. Are you aware that you dealers here would always prefer to buy meat in the State to importing it?—I know it is better meat.