51 



shareholder in the Grovernment railways, we have all an equal 

 interest in seeing them pay, but it is just a question whether 

 increasing the freights and fares will have the desired effect. 

 The wise kings of olden times spent large sums of money to 

 make good roads, so that the produce of the soil could be got 

 to the seaboard cheaply. While agriculturists throughout 

 Victoria have to thank the Agricultural Department for assist- 

 ing to develop the products of the land, we regret to say 

 the Railway Department seems anxious to work in a contrary 

 direction. What I would suggest is that all fruits should be 

 carried at the same charge as wheat, and that the minimum 

 charge for wine should be Is. instead of 5s. This would increase 

 the small parcels, and instead of the railways losing they would 

 increase their revenue. 



As the press has been suggesting the amalgamation of the 

 Agricultural Department with the Lands Department, we, as 

 agriculturists, should protest, on the grounds that the Agricul- 

 tural Department has in the past done noble work to stimulate 

 the higher products of the soil, and to open up markets in 

 foreign lands, and never was there more need for its guiding hand 

 and encouragement than at the present. It is now fast developing 

 into an Industrial Department, in fact it is the department of the 

 State, and the only one that can and will lift the colony out of 

 its present depressed condition. We, as horticulturists, agricul- 

 turalists, and viticulturists, protest against loading the department 

 with any more work. 



Mr. Shaw and Mr. Williams thought that the subject of 

 rating, though important, was not one that could be properly 

 discussed by the Conference. 



The Chairman said he thought that anything that affected 

 the industry of the fruit-grower might be discussed. It appeared 

 to be a very serious matter, if because a man planted and improved 

 his place he was to be handicapped by being rated twice over. 



Mr. Deapee said he had brought the same matter before the 

 Chamber of Eural Industries, and had stated that ordinary land 

 in his district was rated at the capital value as £3 an acre, and 

 the capital value of an orchard was £30 to £40 an acre. That 

 was a real hardship. They were making the country by plant- 

 ing, and on every tree they planted they had to pay a tax. He 

 thought that very hard indeed. He might iqform them that there 

 was an easy way of appealing through the local sessions, but last 

 year it was held that if one wanted to get 10s. off one had to go 

 to the County Court and that might cost £10. He asked all the 

 members to try and get that remedied. 



