11 Nov., 1918.] Farmers' Field Day at Werrihee. 643 



There is one thing I would ask of you, and it is that, on your return, you 

 should tell what is being done on this farm, and influence your fellow 

 agriculturists and fellow dairymen to come down here and see for them- 

 selves. I want you to pass a most hearty vote of thanks to your Govern- 

 ment for what they have done in the interests of agriculture, and also to 

 say how glad we are to see the Treasurer present to-day." (Applause.) 

 The Hon. W. M. McPherson, M.L.A., in acknowledging the vote of 

 thanks, said : — " I can assure you that it is a very great pleasure indeed 

 for me to be here to-day. I have never before had an opportunity of 

 visiting this farm, and I have to acknowledge that my visit has been a 

 great eye-opener to me. I am spoken of as belonging to an economy 

 Government, and that is so. I want you to realize, however, that the idea 

 of the Government is not to cut down expenditure, but to see that every 

 shilling and every pound that we spend returns its full value to the 

 citizens of this State. (Hear, hear.) There is no doubt that there 

 are Government economies that can be made that will not impair the 

 efiiciency of the State. I have been told by Mr. Eichardson to-day that 

 the value of the agricultural products of Victoria is something like 

 £40,000,000, and that the net amount of expenditure on our Agricultural 

 Department is only about £40,000. I venture to say that there are some 

 other Departments that could economize somewhat, and that some of 

 the money expended by them could be better spent on such work as I 

 have seen to-day. There is no doubt that the past Government did well 

 in sending Mr. Richardson to America. I am one of those who believe 

 that our younger men cannot see or learn too much of what is being 

 done by other countries, and in my own business I have sent men abroad 

 for information. It is right for our State servants to go abroad and 

 see what other people are doing, and bring information back, and 

 let you gentlemen apply it. I say that all that we spend in this 

 way is very well spent. I am not an expert in agriculture, but I do 

 claim to be able to recognise a well-conducted, well-equipped, and well- 

 designed place when I see it, and I say emphatically that I have seen 

 such a place to-day. (Cheers.) I congratulate those who are in charge 

 of this farm. I thank Mr. Merrett for his remarks, and I will go to 

 the Government and do what I can to see that an experimental farm 

 such as this receives every encouragement. When I took ofiice, I ordered 

 that balance-sheets should be prepared of State activities, and, when the 

 balance-sheets of this and other experimental farms were presented to me, 

 it was pointed out that there were certain losses on them, and I said 

 that I would not have the matter represented to Parliament in that way. 

 The cost of these educational institutions should not be regarded as a 

 loss to the State. The purely commercial side should not be the only 

 one to be considered. Every farmer must make his living on his farm, 

 and the commercial side of farming should be inculcated in our young 

 farmers. We want that, plus a knowledge of scientific farming, and this 

 farm is here to help to give the farmers that knowledge. I hope the 

 results of the farm will be beneficial to the farmers — I am sure it will. If 

 fate should decree that I occupy my office for another year — one cannot 

 be at all certain of such a thing — I hope to come down here again 

 and look over the place, and spend more time in doing so." 



After apologizing for the absence of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. 

 A. R. Robertson, M.L.A. (Honorary Minister), said: — "I would like to 



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