22 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAM. [1 Jury, 1898. 
swarmed around him, run him up, and gave him a lesson never to come and 
buy direct in the market again. He agreed in the suggestion of Mr. 
Lindeman that in co-operative societies the producers should get the profits. 
In some societies a clever business man would hold a large proportion of shares 
in one, and soon got such control over it that he ran it as he liked. Farmers 
then lost confidence in the concern and sent their produce to other agents. 
Mr. F. W. Pexx (Loganholme) had been pleased at the reception of his 
paper. It was owing to the reasons already stated that he did not wish to 
press complaints into his paper. He simply wanted to give a preliminary 
scheme that could be made practicable, and he had found that every delegate 
who had spoken had gone on the same lines. Even in the matter of collecting 
statistical information, it could only be done by co-operation. The farmer is 
isolated, and is precluded from obtaining such information as to the real value 
of the produce he has to dispose of. With regard to the market question, he 
instanced the case of a complaint he had lately received from a Mount Cotton 
frnitgrower who had brought some produce to the Brisbane market. He 
asked the auctioneer what it was worth, and was met with a demand as to what 
he expected for it. He finally agreed with the auctioneer to have it 
disposed of at market rates, and then left, On returning he was told 
there would be no necessity to haye the goods put up to auction, as they had 
been disposed of privately at market rates. On going down’ the street, 
however, he noticed the goods being carted off to the auctioneer’s own store. 
On the Brisbane town clerk being applied to for a copy of the rules of the 
market, he was ailvised the regulations were not now in force. Anyone could 
see where the faults of the present system came in. Anyone who cared to 
_ speculate in a sixpenny pocket-book anda lead pencil was allowed to speculate 
at the expense of the farmer and producer. Farmers’ associations were largely 
formed to assist farmers in the establishment of markets, As far as improve- 
ment in the getting up of produce was concerned, that could only be effected 
‘by farmers getting together and seeing what each was doing in such matters. 
With regard to Mr. Swayne’s request for information about the working of 
certain co-operative societies in the southern parts of Australia, he had to state 
that he could not comply with it, although he knew such institutions were being 
worked, and worked successfully. He had, however, particulars about the 
Canterbury Association, as he had mentioned in his paper. This particular com- 
pany dealt in everything. It had its own ships running, and seemed to have a 
general grasp on business. One gentleman had stated that day that the farmer 
was not a business man, but he.(Mr. Peek) thought that the idea that the sole 
business of the farmer was to plough or hoe should be done away with. 
Machinery, new appliances, altered conditions had so changed the farmer, that 
he now probably was in a better position than the ordinary business man. At 
any rate, the farmer of to-day had to be an educated and intelligent man. The 
Government had recognised this when they had established a college for the 
purpose of training young men who intended following agriculture as a calling. 
With regard to the Rockhampton market, he (Mr. Peck) considered it was a 
preliminary step. The town clerk had very kindly shown him round it, as 
well as round many other places of interest in the town he might mention, and 
he had told that gentleman that although the market was a step in the right 
direction, it had one fault—and that was competition. That competition should 
be done away with. A man with a lot of produce could lower the market 
prices, and the small man would have to comply with them, although he was 
doing it at a loss. Combination would bring about good prices. There should 
be a grading inspector, who would divide the produce sent, into classes, and 
_ members of the association should agree to his decisions. Prices could then be 
fixed all round for each class. 
Mr. Deacon (Allora) said the middleman was just as bad, just as good, 
and just as honest as any other man. ‘The Co-operative Farmers’ Society that 
had been formed in Brisbane, and which had been referred to that day, was 
established by farmers mainly. It was not formed to buy out a man’s business, 
