154, 
Downs flour, was doubtless largely due to prejudice. With many people the 
idea unfortunately prevailed, that a local article must necessarily be inferior to 
the imported. : 
Mr. Deacon said he would like to add a word about barley. Although 
they did not get so big a price for it as for wheat, yet they gota larger crop. 
‘With regard to a market, there seemed to be a probability of some more malt- 
houses going up in Queensland, but in any event, if the Victorians took off their 
duty of 2s. a bushel, plenty of barley would be grown in this colony. With regard 
to the heavy crop of wheat of a couple of seasons ago, he said he might here 
record the gratitude ofthe Downs farmers to Maryborough, for relieving the local 
markets of what would probably have otherwise been an inevitable glut in 
wheat. At that time Maryborough absorbed a very large quantity of Downs 
wheat. For hay, he thought Defiance and Town and Country were among the 
best varieties of wheat to grow in Queensland. He thought Professor Shelton 
had perhaps been too severe on the Allora Spring. It was avery easy wheat to 
grow, and was just the kind for a, dry season. With regard to its milling 
qualities, a large Brisbane biscuit manufacturer had told him Allora Spring 
flour was one of the best sorts for him. Personally he had never eaten better 
bread than that made from the same flour, but, however, he thought the milling 
quaiities, of the Allora Spring were improving. and one reason for this was 
because it was cut earlier. Still millers always grumbled about a new variety. 
He remembered when Defiance was first introduced, it only fetched a little 
over two-thirds the price obtained for other varieties. Two years afterwards, 
he could get 3d. per bushel more for Defiance than for any other sort, 
Mr, T. E. Counson (Rosewood) gave a few instances showing that the 
objection to Downs flour was simply the result of prejudice. Barley, he 
thought, could be successfully grown in the colony, but it was a thing that 
required expensive machinery, With regard to a market, he mentioned that 
_ Messrs. Robert Harper and Co., of Brisbane, were willing to purchase good 
malting barley. 
Mr. Tuynnr said he had been informed by an expert, that the Downs 
could produce malting barley equal to any in the world. It had less waste 
and more useful material in it than the majority of such barleys. He also 
had it from the same reliable authority, that there was a ready market in the 
colony for four times the quantity of barley that was raised in Queensland 
last season. A considerable amount of barley was annually imported from 
New Zealand, and, in short, he did not think there was any likelihood of there 
being a short market for this crop. There was. one point which had struck 
him in Mr. Moulday’s remarks, and that was, his estimate at what price wheat 
was profitable. Of course it was difficult to make an estimate, but if they were 
ever going to look forward to exporting wheat, they would probably have to 
Wags ee at a somewhat lower figure than that mentioned by Mr. Moulday. 
e believed in Canada and in the States, where such enormous quantities of 
wheat were grown, it was produced profitably when the price was below Mr. 
_ Moulday’s 4s. Doubtless, when their farmers reached out further than the 
_ Downs, wheat would be produced cheaper and in much larger quantities than it 
was at present. With regard to Mr. Deacon’s remark about the practical prohibi- 
tion of the importation of Queensland barley into Victoria by the 2s. a bushel 
duty, he might say that probably there was going to be a change in this respect, 
“ and, instead of barley being sent from Queensland to Victoria, they would not 
unlikely have Victorians sending this article to Queensland, there to compete 
with barley from all parts of the world. " 
RECOMMENDATIONS COMMITTEE. 
‘THE proposed resolutions of this committee were then dealt with. The 
first was :—‘ That this Conference supports the recommendation recently made 
in England to the Imperial authorities by Mr. Jager and others in reference to 
the advisability of admitting tea, coffee, and cocoa into Great Britain free, and 
‘the imposition on foreign beet sugar of a duty equivalent to the amount of 
