ANNUAL ADDRESS. XXXVII. 



There seems little room for doubt that a people con- 

 stituted as we are, must and should develop first and 

 principally our primary industries, and those secondary 

 industries which are connected therewith, and to this end 

 it would be definitely false economy to put any limit to the 

 expenditure of any sum necessary for the attainment of 

 this end. No good reason can be alleged why in the course 

 of time, and very largely now, Australia should not be 

 absolutely unexcelled in the world, not only for such funda- 

 mentally important products as wool, wheat and meat, 

 but also for such staple commodities as sugar and wines, 

 dairy produce and fruits, as well as for timbers and leather 

 and the great minerals. That we are not at present in 

 this satisfactory condition will be sufficiently evident to 

 anyone who has carefully perused the reports of our com- 

 mercial agents published in the press during the last two 

 or three years. 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 



In this connection it will not be ont of place to refer to 

 the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, in which, owing to 

 having been examiner in mechanical subjects for a number 

 of years, and to various visits to it, I naturally take a great 

 interest. It is no detriment to the undoubtedly good work 

 done by this institution — probably the best of its kind in 

 Australia — and to the marked effect it has had on farming 

 in the State, to say that it is far indeed from being what 

 it should be in a country with such vast agricultural possi- 

 bilities awaiting development as Australia, and such 

 intricate problems needing solution. The usual course is 

 limited to two years, and every alternate day is spent in 

 actual field work. The time available for work within the 

 college is thus limited to the equivalent of one year. The 

 effects produced upon students, who often enter with a 

 preliminary education of a not necessarily high order, can- 



