48 



no doubt, hard cases, but, as Dr. L. L. Smitb, a. member of the 

 board, said, it was the same as with other diseases, in severe cases 

 they must take severe measures. He thought it right to have a 

 tax on every vineyard ; it would not be very heavy. 



Mr. Vahland moved the following resolution : — " That this 

 Conference recommend to the Government that it, the Govern- 

 ment, should deal not only justly but liberally with the vineyard 

 proprietors whose property, unfortunately, had to be destroyed on 

 -account of the phylloxera insect having been found in their vine- 

 yard." He used the word "liberally" advisedly, because the 

 state of the wine market was very different from what it was 

 twelve years ago. In Geelong they used to receive from 5s. to 

 to 7s. 6d. a gallon, and, consequently, a year's compensation was 

 very different then from now, when they could only get from Is. 

 to 2s. a gallon. It was no fault of the vine-growers in this 

 instance ; they could not possibly know that the disease was there 

 unless they dug up the vines. He knew some of the unfortunate 

 vine-growers, who were hard-working people, whose living would 

 Tje taken away. 



Dr. L. L. Smith. — Can- you tell us how the vines got diseased 

 in Bendigo ? Would you compensate a man if he did not give 

 notice to his neighbour ? 



Mr. Vahland. — No, he would not ; immediately it was found, 

 notice was given. The people were in ignorance, and if the 

 Phylloxera Board had done its duty they would have known about 

 it years ago. 



Mr. F. DE Castella thoujjht it was quite conceivable that the 

 people should be dealt with liberally, but they must not tie their 

 hands. He thought there should be a committee of the Con- 

 ference to draft the phylloxera policy; after that they could talk 

 about compensation. He moved — "That this Conference appoint 

 a committee to draft, in conjunction with the Board of Viti- 

 culture, a complete phylloxera policy." 



Mr. Westj in seconding the resolution, regretted that amongst 

 the excellent suggestions made by Mr. Irvine, on' behalf of the 

 Great Western people, as to cultivating self-reliance and self- 

 respect, • one of the most absurd and stupid proposals in, the 

 direction of the spoon-feeding of the people that had ever been 

 made by an intelligent body was brought forward, viz., that the 

 Government should immediately set to work to raise nurseries of 

 phylloxera-proof vines in order to distribute to the vignerons of 

 -this colony. Mr. Castella had shown that two particular vines 

 were used for the purpose of resistant stocks universally through- 

 out the world, the Riparia and the Rupestris. Any vigneron 

 •could write by the next English mail to the leading seedsman in 

 France and Germany, and get the seeds of those varieties at the 

 Jew price of 4s. per pound, and a gingle pound of seed would 



