200 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava., 1899. 
‘buyer, the result being that the auctioneer got the benefit of the system, and 
not the farmer. We told Hutton, however, that we were going to start as a 
co-operative venture, and that our Association would take the whole of the sales 
- under its control, and that the charges for sales would be fixed on a sliding 
scale. We then wrote to the Railway Commissioner asking for permission to 
-erect pens. The Commissioner replied that he would not allow the cattle-yards 
to be interfered with, but we could erect pens at our own expense, and we 
could have the privilege of holding sales at the railway station by paying 5s. per 
‘sale. The Dairying Bill to which Mr. Rogers has referred was discussed by 
our Association, who considered its provisions too drastic, and, for my part, I 
do not think the Government will again bring it forward in its then shape. As 
‘for education in dairying matters, it may be mentioned that in the Kingdom of 
Wiirtemberg, this matter is taken in hand very early, and the girls are instructed 
in dairying subjects at school. 
Mr. M. O’Keere (Blenheim): With regard to Mr. Robinson’s paper, 1 
' ‘shall commence by saying that Mr. Robinson is about the most honest auctioneer 
I know of —honest in an honest endeavour to establish a pig market for Southern 
Queensland. Now, gentlemen, this brings me to the matter of the frequent 
desire of persons interested in the middleman’s trade to tender information and 
advice to the farming population. It amuses me; but at the same time it 
arouses In my mind, and in the minds of other farmers, a distrust of that very 
advice. Why should they undertake to be the advisers on the question of 
co-operation? Why should they constitute themselves the advisers on that 
uestion, knowing that they must be utterly opposed to co-operation by 
their interests? I know that it does a great deal towards stopping the advance’ 
of co-operation. It throws a damper upon the minds of many timid farmers 
who would otherwise enter into co-operation. With regard to the system of 
sales as brought up by Mr. Blake, it may be remarked that the buyers do notgo 
to the farms themselves to buy. They put up a notice on a tree that a buyer 
will be at a certain place on a certain date, and you must bring your pigs m 
there. You are then told what price you are going to get for them, and you 
have no say whatever in making that price. If that price is 25 per cent. less 
than the value of the pigs, I doubt if any farmer will try to bring them back 
to his farm. As far as I understood Mr. Rogers’s paper, he considered. the 
Dairying Bill too stringent, but I say without any hesitation that there has been 
for many years among farmers and milk producers a strong desire for 
strict supervision over all dairying matters. I say, further, that it is 
not the farmers and producers of milk who are afraid of strict super- 
vision, but it is those interested in the manufacturing trade, who feel that 
by some means or other this strict supervision may take out of their hands the 
strong control they haye over that very trade. I might refer to the advice 
that has been given to the Department to take further steps for educating farmers 
on dairying matters, asit gives me the opportunity of complimenting the Depart- 
ment upon haying educated our farmers on this very subject, and upon having 
succeeded in educating them. It has done all that it should be necessary for it 
to do, unless it is going into the whole business and milk the farmers’ cows for 
them. In the past the Department has sent experts throughout the length and 
breadth of the land to educate the farmers upon dairying matters generally, and 
should any desire to go in for co-operation, to assist them towards that object. 
Farmers may.also take advantage of the special loan for co-operative dair 
purposes. What further steps can we expect the Department to take? 
understand that loan money has been available for two years, and only Gympie 
and Bundaberg have taken advantage of it. No advantage will perhaps be again 
taken of it if we listen to the advice of those.in the trade. : i 
Mr. F. G. Jonus (Biggenden): I have to thank Mr. Rogers for bringing 
the matter of dairy control up. While admitting that some inspection may be 
necessary, I consider the Bill, as drafted, was altogether too drastic, so much so 
that instead of encouraging dairying it would simply strangle it. I had read 
the Bill through, and had made arrangements, a it was carried, to give up 
