COTTON GROWING IN AUSTRALIA. 
Special Committee's Report-—When the possible re-establishment 
‘of the industry came to be considered, the Queensland Committee of 
the Institute of Science and Industry displayed an active interest in 
the question, and upon its recommendation the Executive Committee 
of the Advisory Council appointed the following gentlemen to report 
upon the matter:—Messrs. J. B. Henderson, E. G. Scriven (Under- 
Secretary, Department of Agriculture), N. Bell, D. Jones, and Pro- 
fessor B. D. Steele. Prior to this the Institute had interested itself 
in one or two phases of the industry, such as the perfection of a 
mechanical cotton-picker, and the investigation of varieties. Imme- 
diately upon its- formation, the Cotton-growing Committee made a 
careful survey of all available evidence, and submitted the following 
statement to the Executive :— 
The causes of the past failures are many and complicated— 
‘different causés appearing to preponderate on different occasions. 
‘Amongst the adverse conditions that have operated, the following may 
be mentioned :— 
(1) Cost of transport to the world’s markets during periods of 
low price. re 
(2) Lack of local market which would absorb the crops during 
such period. 
(3) Competition with other crops believed at the time to be 
more profitable, accentuated by the smallness of the 
agricultural population in Queensland. 
(4) The cultivation of unsuitable varieties of cotton. 
Plants of the cotton family are indigenous to Queensland, and it 
might, therefore, be expected that such plants would thrive in this 
climate. The experience of the past sixty years confirms this expecta- 
tion, and from all the evidence available it may be taken as established 
that in a great number of districts in this State climate and soil are 
entirely favorable to the production of good crops of cotton of excellent 
quality. Moreover, the cotton appears to be more resistant to drought 
than certain of the local staple crops, such as potatoes and maize. It 
has proved also a good reserve in drought as a stock fodder. 
It becomes necessary, therefore, to ascertain whether the causes to. 
which the former failures are to be attributed are still operative. 
Considering first the question of growing for export, it is clear that 
Australia labours permanently under the dual disadvantages of dis- 
tance and of competition with other countries where abundant cheap 
labour is available. It is, however, quite possible that the growing of 
a long staple variety suitable for export may enable these disadvantages: 
to be successfully overcome. 
Looking at the matter from the point of view of the local market,. 
the possible outlets for raw cotton are— 
(1) The manufacture of nitro-cotton by the Commonwealth: 
Explosive Factory. his offers an immediate demand 
‘for a limited quantity of cotton. The annual demand of 
the factory is about 50 tons. - 
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