216 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava., 1899.. 
The Hon. J. V. Cuaraway: There is a provision in the Bill which 
precludes the granting of direct bounties to agricultural production, but there 
is nothing in the Bill preventing indirect assistance to agriculture, such as the 
establishment of colleges, experiment farms, &c., and the importation and 
distribution of new seeds. I should say that it is very probable that under the: 
Bill there will be considerably less interference with the practices and laws of 
the various colonies, as they now exist, than is expected. It must be under- 
stood that there are only one or two matters which are exclusively handled by 
the Federal Government In the rest of those numerous subjects in the 51st 
clause, the legislation of the States can be concurrent with that of the Federal 
Parliament, and unless it clashes with the Federal Parliament the legislation. 
of the States will be operative and effective. I think I have explained what I 
mean, for I find that a number of people think that immediately we have 
federation and things are fixed up, the Federal Parliament will promptly 
undertake our business. I do not think that is the intention. We shall be 
left largely as we were in many things, and this answers Mr. Peek’s question 
as to whether we shall be able to continue the same assistance to agriculture 
as we do now. We can do it in every way, except by direct bounties, although 
direct aid in a cash way is distinctly allowed to the mining industry. 
Mr. F. W. Prex (Loganholme) : [ have not come here empowered by my 
Association to advocate or to speak against federation, and up to the time of 
my leaving my end of the country, the matter had not been discussed in @ 
manner by which the farmers could understand it. I am not here to commit 
myself or my district in any shape or form, and I am not here to say I am 
representative of the opinion of the South, but I think somewhat better 
conditions could have been embodied,in the Commonwealth Bill— for instance, 
in provisions for developing local industries which may be started in the colony as 
well as those which are at present in an embryo state, and which it would be 
an advantage to foster. Although I do not believe in State aid, still there are 
certain things which hang upon production which the State must necessarily 
foster for its future development. I was very pleased, in reading the d/ackay 
Mercury this morning, to see it stated that the “ Duke of Portland” was 
arriving with a number of immigrants for the shores of Queensland, and this I 
think is a step in the right direction, being only sorry that it has not been 
carried out for some years previous to this. We would have been in a better 
condition to compete in the southern markets if our lands had been more fully 
developed. As for the danger from the competition of our southern neighbours, 
T do not think there is any farmerin Queensland afraid to meet them on equal 
terms, but it is only by co-operation that we can do so, and with it we can 
compete with them to a certainty. 
Mr. W. Deacon (Allora) : I represent a wheat district which will perhaps 
be more affected by federation than any other. Our duty on wheat and flour 
_ will shortly be practically inoperative, for this season we shall produce 2,000,000 
bushels, and I think by the time federation is actually in full operation we shall 
be exporting, the more so as it is only the Southern part of the colony that we 
are called upon to supply with wheat. We do not seem to be able to get at 
the North. As for Mr. Hudson’s prices for chaff, I do not know where he got 
them ‘from. I have got 3 boys working on their own account, and they are 
all going in for federation. J asked one of them the other day why, and he 
told me that he read the southern newspapers and saw that, on the whole, the 
prices for farm produce in Sydney and Melbourne were in advance of those 
procurable in Queensland, which would mean a better market for him, Pigs 
worth 30s. in Queensland are worth £2 in Sydney. Chaff is worth £1 a ton 
more in the south thanit ishere. The assimilation of the railway tariffs would 
be a great advantage under federation. A few years ago some of our farmers 
srew barley and sent it south, but, owing to the duty of 2s. a bushel there, the 
venture was unremunerative; but federation would prevent a repetition of that. 
The farmers in the southern colonies at present have advantages over ours in 
the matter of Customs duties. In the first place, there isa duty of £2 a ton 
