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That in the opinion of this House it is desirable that the Government shouM 

 enquire as to the best steps to take to encourage the production and preservation 

 of vegetables. 



He said : " In moving this motion, I may say that, unfortunately, 

 the rules of the House prevent me from going as far as I wish to, 

 otherwise I should have framed the resolution in favour of a sub- 

 stantial bonus being given to any -establishment which might 

 produce 25 or 30 tons of preserved vegetables in any one year. 

 Hon. members are aware that we are now importing large quantities 

 of preserved vegetables. Last year, I believe, the value of our 

 imports in this direction amounted to between ^"8,000 and ^9,000, 

 and next year the amount will probably be larger. This fact I 

 regret. I speak with some practical knowledge when I say that we 

 can produce, at certain seasons of the year, at all events, any 

 quantity of vegetables ; and I should like to see some encourage- 

 ment given to their growth, so that we may supply our goldiields 

 and our northern parts without resort to importation. At Mandurah 

 one of the preserving establishments has already gone into the 

 business, and it is turning out an article quite equal to anything 

 that is being imported ; and all that is now required is that there 

 shall be a supply of vegetables to enable us to produce all the 

 preserves we require. I think a bonus should be given to enable 

 the establishments I refer to to offer a sufficient price for vegetables 

 to induce people to grow them. If that were done, it would, in 

 time, save the colony the large amount which is being annually sent 

 away for preserved vegetables, and it would instead be distributed 

 among our own settlers. Only this week I have noticed how much 

 land is being taken up ; but on a considerable portion of it people 

 are planting fruit trees. These will take four or five years to 

 mature, and if, in the meantime, some inducement could be offered 

 to them to grow vegetables between the rows of trees, they would 

 be much benefited. Vegetables will grow luxuriantly, and a return 

 can be got in a few weeks from them." In bringing the motion 

 (which was passed) before the Council, there is no doubt Mr. McLarty 

 had chiefly in his mind's eye the rich flats that abound in the 

 neighbourhood of Mandurah, which has since come even more 

 prominently into notice as a highly desirable place for settlers on 

 small holdings. At the time of writing (June, 1897), an agitation 

 had declared itself in favor of the Government using the powers of 

 the Agricultural Lands' Purchase Act to take over a portion of the 

 Hall estate and cut it up for the benefit of fruit and vegetable 

 growers. 



A very short run from Perth by rail brings us to the Canning ; 

 but so far on our trip southward we will take the road route, or we 

 should miss the sight ' f what Mr. Wiedcnbach has done to 

 demrnstrate the surprising capabilities of the Canning district to 

 supply the metropolitan market, in which fruit is very scarce and 

 dear, with the tintbt productions of the orchard. He took up what 



