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would still be in a minority, and therefore their influence would 

 be as good by one representative as by three. He thought 

 Rutherglen ought to be satisfied as it was proposed at present. 

 It was not a matter like the laws of the Medes and Persians. 

 There would be an annual conference of wine-growers, or at any 

 rate of the Board, and whatever representations they made the 

 Minister would take notice of. 



Mr. Castella was not present last night, but Mr. Irvine had 

 told him that the representation would be by acreage and that 

 would give Rutherglen four members. His own district would be 

 satisfied with two. It had always been a sore subject with the 

 old Viticulture Board that Rutherglen had only one member, 

 representing as it did about five-eighths of all the wine grown in 

 the colony, and Mr. Irvine had told him (Mrl Castella) that 

 Rutherglen was entitled to more than one. 



Mr. O'Grady said he had been sent by the Rutherglen people 

 to carry out their views. In the past they thought they had been 

 unjustly dealt with by having only one member on the Board of 

 Viticulture. He was not present last night, but he understood 

 that the basis of representation would be on the acreage system. 

 Had he been present last night he would have been outvoted, but 

 he must show his people that he had tried his best for them. 



A Member said that in any scheme which was proposed by 

 them they did not seek to take advantage of any other district, 

 and they did not base it altogether on the acreage system. If it 

 were decided to allow up to 3,000 acres one representative, from 

 3,000 acres to 8,000 acres two representatives, and 8,000 acres 

 and upwards three representatives, that would give Rutherglen 

 three, Goulburn Valley two, Barnawartha, Bendigo, and Great 

 Western one (but in a very short time they would have two), 

 Dunolly one, Lilydale one, and Geelong, which had been an 

 important wine-growing district, was entitled to one. If that 

 scheme were brought in that would be eleven members, and 

 Barnawartha and Bendigo would soon be over 3,000 acres, and 

 then they would have two each. 



Mr. Ckaike said last night it was a matter between the Viti- 

 culture Board and the Conference. He could not see what the 

 acreage had to do with representation. Had that been carried 

 out, it would have meant that Rutherglen would have had three 

 members, and by taking in some of the Murray Valley district 

 they would have had six or seven members. It was seen that 

 that would increase the Board to tremendous dimensions, so that 

 if the vine-growing went on as it had done they would soon have 

 a Board of 25 members. Mr. West advocated having a small 

 body with a view to economy, and for the sake of having good 

 work done. He (Mr. Craike) had advocated Rutherglen having 

 two members, and it was carried last night ; but the efiiect was 



