>S MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEX BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE 



MI-.M.J. side the Colony. They go direct to the markets. 



^ an - and are sold by agents." 



uly 12. HIM;. 50. C/ta/n/ian.~] Would yon be in favour of com- 

 pelling farmers to give notice to their neighbours 

 before they commence plucking ? No. I am very 

 much against that. It would impose a hardship 

 without benefiting him in any way. My opinion, 

 it' I may express it. is that the producer and buyer 

 should not be hampered. I want to catch the 

 thief and the receiver of stolen feathers, but there 

 should be no restriction on free and legitimate 

 trade. 



51. What is your opinion with regard to brands 

 for ostriches?" Do not you think it would be a 

 good thing to have registered brands approved by 

 (Jovernment ? No. I am not in favour of that. In 

 regard to Oudtshoorn. I may say that there is not 

 a bird over a certain age which has not a brand. 

 The chickens of course are not branded. 



."#. But the conditions in Oudtshoorn are of 

 course different from the rest of the Colony, as 

 there the birds live on lucerne, and the farmer is 

 always with his birds, but in other places where 

 the birds are not in camps and run about over a 

 large extent of country the neighbours may not be 

 honest, and they may brand the birds in some 

 other way. and it is to prevent that that I think a 

 brand register is necessary. Also, if a bird is sold, 

 1 must put a brand on it, and that brand should be 

 registered '. J But how about registering wild birds ? 

 They also come under the Act. 



5,'>. Have you any other suggestion to make ? 

 My only suggestion is that the Act of 1883 as it now 

 stands should be made a little more stringent. I 

 think if the police are given a little more power to 

 deal with suspicious people it would be sufficient. 

 Many Oudtshoorn farmers have signed petitions 

 against the proposed new Bill. They say. "Stick to 

 the old Act. but make it more stringent." I wish to 

 make it clear to you that in Oudtshoorii there are 

 not manv feathers stolen. 



