Mr J. M. Craig, continued.

1491. By Mr. Richardson: That is one of your theories, then, that they do not increase?▬Cats get rid of them. There is no doubt a lot of the cats had forgotten their natural instincts for hunting, and would die; some of them would survive.

1492. By Hon. R. G. Burges: You do not think cats would be much use now?▬No. Cats would do where there are a few.

1493. By Mr. D Forrest: Cats want blood/▬Yes.

1494. By Hon. R. G. Burges: You are quite certain the present mode the Government have of stopping the invasion of rabbits is useless?▬The method?

1495. Yes, the present method of sending these parties out?▬It appears so. A fence is the only effectual method, but that fence must be kept in proper order, or else you had better let it alone.

1496. Have the department you are under ever made any estimate of the cost of this fence, or the upkeep at all?▬It is impossible in the absence of any information about the nature of the country.

1497. The nature of the country is know, if they like to do it?▬There is the drift sand; if you made it there the expense would be enormous. Then there is, again, roly-poly grass we know of. That would form a barrier again the fence for the rabbits to run across. In some parts of the country a fence would be maintained cheaply, but in other parts it would be very costly.

1498. Say 400 or 500 miles from the coast, so that you protect all the older settled portions of the country, all the agricultural portions. You mean to say they have made no estimate at all of this?▬ We cannot. It is impossible.

1499. You have not tried?▬No. How can we try?

1500. Have you any information?▬No; we do not know where you are going to put the fence. If you will tell us where you will put the fence, I dare say the Government will send out a surveyor to tell the nature of the country. If you are going to run wire netting through salt lakes, it will be a pretty costly undertaking.

1501. The Governement or the Department have never taken any interest in the matter at all?▬Oh! Have they not?

1502. By Mr D. Forrest: Do you know if roly-poly grass grows on unstocked country?▬I could not say.

1503. By Hon R. G. Burges: Have the Government ever taken any steps at all to find out the cost of the fence or the upkeep to stop this invasion of the rabbits?▬The only information we have about it is the cost of the wire. When the Government know the direction in which you are going to lay the fence, or the locality▬▬

1504. By the Chairman: Better answer his question, or else we shall get into a muddle. Have the Government taken any steps?▬It is impossible.

1505. You have not done so?▬No. In the absence of any information where you are going to put the fence, we cannot say. It would be a waste of time.

1506. You have the cost of the netting?▬Yes. We got tenders from Lysaght.

(The witness retired.)