1 Ava., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 225- 
to be for want of asking for them. We have been neglected in the matter of 
railways for a long time, and the time has come when every citizen in the 
district is going to put his shoulder to the wheel to try and insist on additional 
railway construction. I heard one or two discussions at the Conference, and 
on the question of cheap money for farmers, for instance, I was surprised to 
' hear so many ideas. Some wanted cheap money, but others said cheap money 
was a bad thing. Some said they wanted reliable money, and that it did not 
matter so much about the price so long as it was reliable, and others again 
wanted it both cheap and reliable. I can tell you this, and I am speaking now 
from experience, I have no desire for the State to assist me in my business, 
and I believe in a man helping himself, but I consider the Government is in a 
better position to borrow money than individuals, and I go go far as to say that 
the Government being in that position should borrow money to be at the 
disposal of bond jfide farmers. But I say, advance it through the present 
institutions, and advance it to those farmers to help them along who can give 
undoubted security, and only to those people who would devote it to 
agricultural purposes. I do not believe in bolstering up industries at Govern- 
ment expense, but what we want is men with capital, and if you are going to 
bolster up a man who has not SET euee of his own, to my mind you are keeping 
capital away. J think if the Government were to pay more attention to 
extending railways they would confer a greater boon, and they would by that 
means extend this colony far more rapidly than they are doing. TI take it that 
we haye any amount of land that ig only waiting to get within a reasonable 
distance of a market to be taken up, and I believe it would be beneficial to the 
Government and to the colony atlarge. I thank you most heartily for drinking 
the health of Mackay and district, and I can assure you that Mackay is only 
too pleased to see you all enjoying yourselves, and to have the good wishes you 
have given. (Applause.) ' 
This concluded the dinner, and, an adjournment being made to the train, 
further points of interest along the line were visited, the~party finally 
returning to town about 6 in the afternoon. After tea, the committee 
appointed at the Agricultural Conference to consider and report on the schemes 
for agricultural credit and banking, drawn up by Messrs. Thomatis and Peek, 
_held a meeting in the Britannia Hall; Messrs. Peek, Fischer, Lamb, Thompson, 
Crooks, Scholz, Swayne, and Thomatis being present. The other members of 
the committee who were not present are Messrs. R. Gibson, Noakes, W. R. 
Robinson, and O’Keefe. Mr. Peek was moved to the chair. Mv. D. Thomatis 
was appointed secretary and correspondent. The schemes of Messrs. Thomatis 
and Peek were laid on the table and discussed, the debate resulting in a majority 
of the committee deciding to postpone Mr. Peek’s scheme until that of Mr. 
Thomatis was dealt with. Mr. Thomatis, at the request of the committee, 
traversed his scheme; questions were asked and answered to the satisfaction of 
the committee. One of the questions concerned the practicability of issuing 
agricultural bank-notes, and that subject Mr. Thomatis also explained satis- 
factorily. It was finally decided that the secretary (Mr. Thomatis) write to 
New Zealand, Victoria, and other colonies, requesting that copies of agricultural 
credit schemes in operation might be forwarded. The modus operandi was 
decided on as follows :—The secretary to collect information and evidence, and 
transmit the same to the committee, who will then call meetings in the several 
districts they represent. The data will thereafter be discussed in each district 
association, the results of the discussion being transmitted to the secretary, 
who will arrange the various results into a report which will be sent to each 
member of the committee. On the united action of the committee thereafter, 
appeal will be made to Government if the conclusions favour such acourse. On 
the following day, at the invitation of the Homebush branch of the Pioneer 
River Farmers’ Association, the delegates visited that district, inspecting among 
other things the famous mill of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. This- 
and similar excursions occupied the time of delegates until the last had left 
for home. i 
