OX OSTRICH FEATHERS THEFT REPRESSION BILL. 19 



enabling farmers to find their lost birds. As a Mr 



rule every farmer has brands but the brands are 



not registered. )nlv ]y(J7 



123. Do not you think farmers should also have 

 a " check " brand which they should use in case 

 they sell birds, and this should also be registered ? 

 You are not opposed to that ? No. 



Thursday, 18th July. 1907. 



PRESENT : 

 Mr. MlCHAU (Chairman). 



Mr. H. C. vail Zyl. 

 Mr. I. J. van Zyl. 



Mr. Huriidall. 

 Mr. Bellingan. 



Mr. P. D. de Yilliers. 



.Mr. Frans Johannes van der Merwe. M.L.A., F j 1 ^ d 



examined. Mei-we, ' 



124. Chairman.] You are a Member of the 

 House of Assembly ? Yes. July 18 > lyo7 ' 



125. You are a farmer in the Calvinia district ? 

 Yes. 



126. You know the object of the Committee ? 

 Yes. 



127. Are you acquainted with the Ostrich 

 Feathers Theft Repression Bill which has been 

 introduced into the Council ? Yes, I have looked 

 through it. 



128. You are also an ostrich farmer ? Yes ; not 

 011 a very large scale, but I do go in for ostrich 

 farming as well. 



129. Do you suffer much from thefts of ostrich 

 feathers ? Not very much, but I have found that 

 feathers have been cut off my birds or plucked out, 

 but I do not know who the thieves were. 



130. You think there is good reason for having 

 legislation to stop these thefts ? Yes. 



131. Do you agree with the Bill which has been 

 introduced? I have certain objections to it, but 

 on the whole I agree with it. There should be 

 provision to deal with these thefts. 



C2 



