206 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JouRNAL. [1 Ava, 1899. 
us the great strides pastoral settlement has achieved since he first took office, and the 
enormous increase in stock in the colony: also the export of wool, beef, tallow, hides, 
and other pastoral produce, which swell the total wp to £5,000,000 sterling. We 
therefore ask with confidence for a Minister to devote all his attention to our industry, 
which for many generations must be the primary one in Queensland. 
SEVENTH SESSION, 
THURSDAY, 297TH Junn, 1899, 9:30 a.m. 
The Hon. J. V. Caraway: The first business for this morning is a 
discussion on the papers of Messrs. Denman, Pott, and Henry, and, with 
regard to the two former, I have here a recommendation from the Resolutions 
Committee suggesting that they be discussed on the following lines:— The 
benefits bestowed by the sugar industry on the colony : its future prospects ; 
countervailing duties ; light agricultural lines.’’ 
Mr, R. 8. Atkey (Gooburrum): I would like to say a few words in 
reference to countervailing duties. We who are engaged inthe sugar industry 
have a great number of troubles, and to relieve us of one of these, we advocate 
countervailing duties, for the simple reason that we find that the bounty 
system on the Continent of Europe oppresses us in such a manner that we 
absolutely require some assistance from the Government to enable us to 
compete with it We are not altogether believers in the system of counter- 
vailing duties, but circumstances absolutely force us to do something to protect 
ourselves, and, as you are all aware, the ‘bounty system allows those growing 
beet to place their sugar against ours in the Australian market at such a price 
that we are unable to compete with them. Therefore, to put it in a nutshell, 
and not occupy your time too long, it is the desire of those who are engaged — 
in sugar in Queensland that the present Government, whom we have to thank 
for assisting us in several ways, shall take action in this'matter. T am sure 
we haye a gentleman as Minister for Agriculture in whose hands we are all 
quite willing and satisfied to leave the matter, knowing full well that we shall 
receive what we are in mere justice entitled to. 
Mr. W. Deacon (Allora): With regard to countervailing duties, it may 
be stated that 2 of the delegates from Mackay at the Agricultural Conference 
at Gatton, in 1897, brought forward a resolution on the subject, but the time 
was not altogether opportune. In fact, Messrs. Denman and Swayne were 
slightly before the time, but now I think the subject is ripe for any discussion. 
The annual production of beet sugar is something like 4,600,000 tons, and of 
cane sugar 2,600,000 tons, so that, consequently, the cane is falling before the ~ 
beet all over the world. In Britain, where they used to refine their own sugar, 
there is just about one refinery left, and that is at Glasgow. Practically all 
the sugar now used in England is beet, and I believe beet sugar is also used 
even in Queensland, that is to say, all the loaf sugar made in the world is from 
beet. (Voices: No.) I make that statement on the authority of the London 
Daily Telegraph, and understand that such has been the case for the last 25 
years. Some people in the north of England, however, still adhere to the cane 
sugar, and the imposition of countervailing duties in the United States has had 
the effect of drawing away all the sugar from Demerara to the States, and, in 
fact this latter country has practically annexed the commerce of the West 
Indies and Demerara. I understand the bounties in France are 4s. per cwt., 
in Germany Is. 6d.; and we are told that Germany, Austria, and Belgium 
would be quite willing to give them up, but that France bars the way. The 
effect of it is this, that while in England good sugac is procurable from 134. to 
2d. per l|b., the same article sells for 6d. on the Continent, owing to the 
excise levied to provide for the bounty. A few months ago countervailing 
duties were imposed in India. So great had been the rush of sugar on the 
Indian market from Germany that it was practically destroying sugar-growing 
in India, and the Government had to do something for the protection of their 
growers there, the imports of sugar into India having risen from 200,000 cwt. to 
