REPORT OF EVIDENCE.

FRIDAY, 1ST MARCH, 1901.

Present:

MR. R. E. BUSH, Chairman. Hon. R. G. Burges, M.L.C. | Mr. W. T. Loton. Mr. C. Harper, M.L.A. | Mr. A. R. Richardson. Mr. David Forrest, M.L.A. | Mr. F. B. Wittenoom.

Mr. John Morton Craig, examined.

1. By the Chairman: You are Inspector of Stock?—I am Chief Inspector of Stock.

2. And this rabbit question has been under your control, subject to he approval of your Minister?—Yes.

3. Will you tell us what steps have been taken by the Government with regard to ascertaining the severity of the present rabbit invasion?—The severity of it?

4. Yes.—Well, this question was placed under the Stock Department in December, 1897, and in the following January, Mr. Page was appointed to tour the country; the rabbit-infested areas. He was appointed at the head of a small party to go away with camels, and after five or six months absence, he sent in his report, recommending a fence.

5. I may mention that we have only given you very short notice to appear here and give evidence, and if you desire any further time to consider any of the questions I may put to you, we could call you again.—Well, sit, you remember I asked you if you could give me an outline of the questions likely to be put to me, in order that I might obtain such material as would enable me to answer the questions. But until this morning I had not seen them; and as many of them are of a statistical nature, it would have been better if I had been given time to consider them and to look up the whole of the reports.

6. There is not the slightest doubt about that, but there are some questions you will be able to answer off-hand, though we, of course, will give you time if you would rather not reply without consideration.—Yes.

7. I will repeat the first question: Will you tell us what steps have been taken by the Government with regard to ascertaining the severity of the present invasion?—I think I have given all the answer I can.

8. Were no steps taken before that?—I am only speaking of the time the matter was handed over to the Stock Department.

9. In which Department was this question before?—In the Lands; the Minister of Lands at that time, I think, Mr. Richardson.

10. You say Mr. Page made that report?—Yes.

11. What other steps were taken by the Government?—Mr. Page recommended a fence to start from Rocky Point to the East of Israelite Bay, beyond the rabbits. But rabbits were known to exist some considerable distance to the West of that point, and it was not considered advisable; at any rate, I did not think it was worth while recommending the construction of that fence.

12. On that account?—On that account, principally.

13. Will you just point out to us on the chart where this fence was recommended?—(Witness indicated line of proposed fence on the map.)

14. By. Mr. Wittenoom: was it due North?—For a certain distance, and then it turned off into the desert.

15. By Mr. Richardson: It turned into the desert?—Yes. From Rocky Point he recommended a fence due North 150 miles. Rocky Point is just East of Israelite Bay.

16. By the Chairman: That was in 1898?—January, 1898.

17. Do you say you did not approve of that on account of the rabbits having been seen to the Westward?—To the Westward.

18. What were the next steps taken?—The sum of £500 was placed on the Estimates for me, but with that I was unable to do anything in the nature of fencing, or even in the employment of any number of men. Having read the book of Mr. C. L. Morgan, clerk of the Maranoa Rabbit Board, Queensland, on the rabbit question, I found that the employment of cats had been successful in