10 Mixr'iT.s OK EVIDENCE TAKEN HEKOUK TIIK SELECT COMMITTEE 



Mr.M. j. in convictions. One was a F.uropean farmer and 

 1 the other a coloured man. I mention this to show 

 -hiiv 12. i<>-. ] 10W honestly the feather industry is conducted in 

 Oucltshoorn. 



01. Mr. Hit.nuldll.] You are of opinion then that 

 tho Ostrich farmers in Oudtshoorn do not suffer 

 much from feather thefts? Yes. Until three 

 years ago I farmed with two thousand birds, and 

 only on one occasion did I lose any feathers. Then 

 five male ostrich birds were plucked, and 1 found 

 after a searching enquiry that the thief was one of 

 my own men. The farm is about 4.000 morgcii. 

 All the thefts of feathers are done by bywoners " 

 or servants. 



02. Do not you think that people in other dis- 

 tricts whose ostriches have to run on the veld 

 would be in favour of an alteration of the Act in 

 this connection ? No. I do not think so. 



08. C'hainnun.'] Have you any other suggestion 

 to make ? I have heard it suggested that the 

 register should be kept in English and Dutch only, 

 but 1 am against that, as we often get Germans 

 and Frenchmen who come to purchase feathers in 

 this country for the manufacturers, and they keep 

 their books in their own language. If this were 

 not allowed, these people would keep away, and 

 competition would not be so keen. The same with 

 regard to Yiddish. The registers should be kept 

 in any European language the buyers please. 



04. Mr. I. J. van Zi/L] Where would you get the 

 police who would understand all those languages? 

 Well, you have police now who do not even 

 understand Dutch. 



Mr. Maurice Sahse Lipschitz, examined. 



Mr. M.S. 05. Chairman.'] You know the objects of this 

 Lipschitz. Committee ? Yes. 



.inly 12. lyo:. 00. Have you acquainted yourself with the pro- 

 visions of the Ostrich Feathers Theft Repression 

 BiU :> Y^es. 



