214: QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ave., 1899. 
altogether independent of the competition I have referred to. Federation 
would be beneficial with protection against the world, for at present we may 
be getting a fair price for a certain product, when news comes that there is a 
big shipment of Californian wheat or maize arrived in Sydney, and that has a 
bad effect on the markets in the other colonies. 
Mr. K. W. Scuonz (Stanthorpe): I have had no instructions from my 
society on the subject of federation, but the feeling there is strongly in favour 
of it. We do not fear it, and living as we do, on the border, we know where 
the shoe pinches under the present condition of things. 
Mr. E. Hicks (Southport): Iam in tavour of federation, and I am sure 
there is no Queensland farmer who is afraid of New South Wales competition, 
but with Sydney a free port, it is a dumping ground for produce from the rest 
of the world. ‘Lhe result is when prices go up in Queensland, there is always 
plenty of foreign produce on hand in Sydney to be sent up here to flood our 
markets. 
Mr. OC. F. M. Fiscuer (Zillmere): From what I have heard, if the 
delegates to this Conference thoroughly represent the feelings of their various 
societies, the probable vote that will be taken in Queensland on federation will 
be a great eye-opener, for so far I have not heardany sentiment worth mentioning 
against federation. The people in the North appear to be on the horns of a 
dilemma, the fear of black labour being taken away from them and the hope 
of an increased market. In the South we have not the fear, but we have the 
prospect. Those who are interested in wheat and butter have no fear of 
federation, and have spoken in favour of it, and we who are interested in the 
fruit industry can say the same. We have nothing to fear from federation, 
and the consumer, who, after ali, is the greatest factor in any community, will 
be benefited if any benefit is to be derived. That should be the great con- 
sideration in all questions of this kind, for we are naturally so constructed 
that we look upon everything from a selfish standpoint. There’ are several 
lines of industry in fruit-growing in Southern Queensland which I am sure 
will be benefited by federation. At the present time we have open markets for 
our green fruits in most of the southern colonies, but still there are some 
where duties are imposed, and on fruits which we can grow very readily, and 
for which we could get a market in the course of federation. Pine-growers in 
my district are specially interested in the canning industry, but they 
eannot dispose of their product in the southern markets owing to the 
duties imposed there on canned fruit. With federation, those duties would be 
removed, and I am sure the canning of pineapples in this colony would be 
revived. Pineapples are now canned here, and sent even to protective Germany 
and elsewhere, but, with the markets of Australia open to us, we would be able 
to can on our own farms, send the product all over Australia, and benefit 
not only ourselves, but those who would like to consume pines, and are 
not able to secure them in their natural state. 
Mr. J. Hupson (Rosewood): There is a good deal of sentiment in this 
federation business, and I think if the various speakers so far were divested of 
the amount of sentiment that is in them, there would not be much left. I am 
a Southern farmer, and have been farming in the South for thirty years. I 
have seen something during that time, and have experienced something. We 
haye had protective duties in Queensland, and yet the markets of the south 
were open to our products in a free sort of way. Take farm produce. I have 
seen potatoes sold in the south at 30s. a ton. It is not 5 years since I sold 
lucerne chaff for 22s. 6d. a ton. Where were the southern markets for those 
things? They were shut up, and will be shut up again. I agree that the 
south cannot compete with us in fair seasons, but then we are most susceptible 
to seasons of drought, and I contend that 1 month of dry weather would do 
more harm to our crops than 3 months’ drought would doin the south. Atthe 
present time prices are fair, and they are what the consumer is easily able to 
pay. We should not, however, like them to be lower, and if it were not for 
our protective duties we would not be getting half of what we now get. We 
