'24 MIVt'TES Ol- EVIDENCE TAKEN" BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE 



ur- 175. C 1 hairntcm.'\ Have you any other suggestion 



^eiwef' which you can make to the Committee ? No, what 



M.L.A! I have said is what I think should be done with 



July ix, mo?, regard to the sale and purchase of ostrich feathers. 



Mr. Mr. Philip Willem Ferdinand Wei/rr. examined, 

 p. w. F. 



\voyer. 17^. Chair man.~] You are a farmer in the Dis- 

 juij i*. 1907. trict of Somerset East ? Yes. 



177. You go in a good deal for ostrich farming ? 

 -Yes. 



178. You have large camps V Yes. I have seven 

 or eight camps, and they extend over 16,000 

 morgen. 



179. Have you any trouble with regard to 

 ostrich feather thefts ? Yes, owing to the size of 

 my camps, it is impossible to watch all the birds. 



180. By whom are these thefts committed ? 

 Chiefly by poor whites. 



181. Who put them up to stealing feathers? 

 1 think the " smousers " and the travelling feather 

 buyers ; the difficulty of discovering the thefts 

 encourages them. 



182. Do you think it is possible to introduce 

 legislation to put a stop to thieving ? Yes. I have 

 lost- from 250 to 800 worth of feathers. 



188. Are you acquainted with the Ostrich Feathers 

 Theft Repression Bill which has been introduced 

 into the Council ? Yes. 



184. Do you agree with it V Not altogether, be- 

 cause it is too complicated, and too troublesome for 

 the farmer himself. 



185. Will you state what is your objection to the 

 Bill ? I should like to give my opinion as to what 

 I think should be done to improve the Bill and 

 shorten it. 1 think that it is very necessary that 

 the return of the sale should be made in duplicate 

 the one to be signed by the buyer and the other 

 by the seller. The buyer should give the one he 

 has signed to the seller who should send it to the 

 the nearest police station as soon as possible there- 

 after. 



