1 Ava., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 155 
satisfied with the simple fare and the working clothes and the men he employs. In 
every possible form the burdens should be taken off an industry which is the groundwok 
of the prosperity of a State, and which, ina colony such as this, is the groundwork of the 
successful and profitable utilisation of our national asset, the land. Having freed the 
farmer of the burdens upon his industry, the State has next to remove the trammels of 
ignorance. It must be confessed that many are farming in this colony who have had 
no training before, while few have been fortunate enough to secure that practical 
education while alone entitles a man to rank as a farmer of the first order. et it isa 
curious commentary on the way in which the agricultural industry is regarded, as 
compared with other branches o industry, that agricultural education has only been 
brought to the front after years of agitation, and fone after the State has initiated the 
system of spending thousands of pounds annually upon and subsidies to technical 
schools for teaching all manner of subjects entirely foreign to agricultural. Even in 
our national schools there is little or nothing of the great primary industry of the 
country taught, and our youngsters, and those of the towns, grow up with a fair ground- 
work of knowledge to enable them to enter into commercial pursuits or adopt learned 
professions, but with practically no information as to the great subject, which is gener- 
ally admitted to be of the first importance. It ig Heal asking too much to seek to 
have an elementary agricultural education added to the bookkeeping, smattering of 
Latin, and inkling of music which at present is conferred at the expense of the whole 
community, including the farmers, wa the children of the country. There is a 
tendency to regard any expenditure on behalf of agriculture as a doubtful benefit to the 
community, because no immediate result, in £ sg, d., is to be observed; but he 
would be a bold man ‘who would say the same thing of the money expended 
in helping our schools of arts, our grammar schools, or even our primary schools. 
Yet surely we have a right to ask of the State that we shall have, always and 
regularly, at least no less advantages in our calling than are conferred upon those 
engaged in the secondary business of distribution, but I hope and believe that the 
outcome of these gatherings will be that the farmers of the North, South, and West 
will arrive at a mutual un erstanding that will enable them to combine both in the 
co-operation and disposal of their produce, and by, perhaps, through the exercise of a 
little give-and-take in connection with any prejudices that may have arisen, “for after 
all our interests on all important questions are identical,” the formulation .of a 
platform, to be supported by us all, that will contain our legislative requirements as a 
united body. The fluctuation of party Government would then give us little concern, as 
we should always be strong enough to protect our common interest; and next to 
education I think we may place the necessity of the Government assisting the farmer 
in the matter of labour. In this respect not only the farmer but the labourer himself 
would largely benefit. I see no reason why the example of other places should not be 
followed in Queensland, and a direct eftort made by the State to keep the labour of 
the colony distributed in those centres where it can find remunerative employment. 
Happily we have not recently experienced much of the unemployed problem in 
Queensland; but if to-morrow large numbers of men came into a town and said 
they were unemployed, there is little reason t6 believe that an official could be 
found to place before them information as to the places where labour is 
required, and the rates of wages to be obtained. Instead, however, a_ police 
magistrate would dole them out free rations, until their constant applications 
for relief would force him to tell them to go elsewhere. I contend that it is the dut: 
of the State, both to the farmer and labourer, to see that full value is obtained for all 
bond, fide labour in the colony, and that each industry should have sufficient labour to 
carry on its production. In the matter of legislation we are still far behind the times. 
Agriculture in this colony lacks nearly all the progressive legislation of older States. 
The farmer can be defrauded with bogus fertilisers, and he has no remedy that is 
worth calling one. Agricultural drainage is almost an impossibility, except where 
‘oups of farmers can be got to it among themselves ; whereas it may reasonably - 
bo contended that no farmer should be allowed to stand in the way of the progress of 
his neighbours. Then, again, the Government organises the people of the colonies to 
carry out many necessary matters, such as local government, harbour control, &c., but 
we have yet to find the Government taking equally energetic steps to organise the 
agriculturists, so as to enable them to successfully manage their business of production 
and export, though the importance of these is Fracsasig, admitted on all hands. In 
money matters, the State has fitfully helped the farmers, but such questions as the 
limitation of mortgages, cheap money advances, andthe many other questions 
affecting the financial position of the agriculturists should be placed on a properly 
organised basis—the one clear and distinct system that can be understood by the farmers— 
and make it abundantly clear that every legitimate aid is being afforded them by the State. 
