1 Aug., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 217 
‘on galvanised iron in Queensland, but down south there is none, and on 
kerosene, which farmers use a great deal, we have to pay 6d. a gallon duty, © 
while the New South Wales farmer pays nothing. We pay 6d. per lb. on our 
tea, but in New South Wales itis 1d., and in the other colonies 3d. Tobacco 
is more highly taxed in Queensland than in the south. Canada is always 
mentioned in federation discussions, and it may be stated that the farmers 
there are in an extremely prosperous condition. 
Mr. L. P. Lanpspere (Rockhampton): I am a federationist, but I am a 
separationist first, and I think if we wait we shall be able to federate on better 
lines than this Commonwealth Bill gives us. This Bill has been a great 
improvement on the others, and I think it is still open to further improvement, 
As for the charity referred to by Mr. Booker, I do not think we Central Queens- 
landers have got much charity from our Southern neighbours, and under federa- 
tion we should be ruined by the Southern part of Queensland. As for “ Hope,” 
what we are all hoping for is separation, and for the rest of Mr. Booker’s motto 
we have great faith in the future prospects of Central Queensland. 
Mr. C. Arrnow (Brisbane): As mottoes are in fashion, and a great many 
appear to be sitting on a rail, I may quote “ Now or Never.” Why to-morrow? 
The sooner federation comes the better it willbe. Take maize: T do not see 
how it can be affected. Mr, Hudson evidently expects that in dry seasons he 
would not get the high prices under federation that he otherwise would, but 
why should the cabmen and draymen pay an abnormal price for their horse 
feed when it can be got cheaply next door? Maize would merely find its level. 
You may remember that when the duty was put on maize, Sydney retaliated, 
and the whole of the country to the north of Sydney was lost to our .maize- 
growers on the Downs. Previous to the imposition of the duty, the complaint 
in New South Wales was that thousands of bushels of Queensland maize were 
sent across the border, but now this market has been lost. As forother forms 
of produce, in most cases the crops do not come at the same time. Again, our 
growers are heavily oppressed by the duty on potatoes. Hundreds of tons have 
to be imported for seed, and 15s. a ton has to be paid on them, and the 
remission of this duty alone would counteract many of the alleged disadvan- 
tages of federation even if they did occur. In the coniparison of our imports 
of wheat from, and our exports of cattle to, New South Waies, the balance is. 
greatly in our favour, and if we take fruit we find we export ten times more than 
we import. ‘he greatest quantity of our imported fruit comes from Tasmania, 
from which we get our seed potatoes, and there is also there a great opening 
for bacon, butter, and cheese. Mutton and beef were worth from 7d. to 9d. 
per lb. the last time I was down there. Although we have an open market in 
the south for bananas and pineapples, yet there is a heavy duty on oranges, which 
hampers the Maryborough man greatly, and we are almost excluded from the 
Adelaide and Tasmanian markets because of the heavy duties, which federation 
would remove. Labour is essential to the advancement of agriculture in the 
colony, but an argument against immigration is, that the people will only go 
away to the other colonies after they have been assisted to Queensland, In 
Brisbane you can get neither boys nor girls at present, and the farmers are 
erying out for labour, but they will only get it under federation. When we 
consider that we have the raw material and the southern colonies the population, 
federation cannot be anything but a tremendous benefit to us. 
Mr. G. Munrz (Mosman): As for the maize market under federation, 
that some of the South Queensland farmers are afraid of, it should be 
remembered that the Queensland tarmer can get 2 crops of ‘this cereal in a 
year as compared with the one in Victoria, and in the latter colony, on some 
farms, it is often impossible to get maize. As for orauges, ours will reach 
Melbourne before the local ones are ready. 
Mr. T. F. Stupsry (Boonah): At the beginning of last year I was selling 
my maize in Brisbane at 4s. 9d. per bushel. It then camé down to 4s. 6d., 
and afterwards to 4s. 3d., but reading in a Melbourne paper, I saw it quoted 
at 7s., and as there is a duty of 2s. 8d. a bushel on maize in Victoria, this made 
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