16 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Jeny, 1901. 
might be an object lesson even to America. But, coming still nearer home, T | 
may say that for a number of years we have been endeavouring to organise in 
the Bundaberg district, and, I think, our efforts have not been without result. 
We have some eight or ten district societies under various names, but, generally 
speaking, one object—that of the advancement of the district which we are. 
now in. For the outside places we determined that we should have one central; 
head, and we have now in Bundaberg a council of agriculture conducted by- 
gentlemen selected by the outside districts. We have met and talked over. 
grave matters connected with the interests of different branches of agriculture.. 
One of these was, what could be done for the advancement of the sugar. 
industry. We made out plans and propounded a scheme which was handed to 
the Minister for Agriculture, showing how it was possible to get a capable 
gentleman to this State, and how we could pay his salary when he arrived, 
here. We fought the matter out both publicly and privately, and we proved to. 
Queensland that there was a possibility of getting a sugar expert from a country; 
where he had been signally successful. We showed how this could be done,. 
and many of you gentlemen here know how difficult it was for us to arrive at a 
scheme to which we could all agree. I suppose we could not have agreed had’ 
not the conclusion been forced upon us that unless something was done the. 
cane itself would leave us. The result was, that we were able to place upon. 
our parliamentary records this fact, that the Bundaberg organisation had done. 
something for the betterment, we trust, of the sugar industry of Queensland. I 
feel sure, moreover, that there is a broader and wider principle upon which we- 
could work. When we look at the gathering here to-night, it is difficult to see- 
any reason why we should not organise, and become a mighty power in the: 
State for the advancement of agriculture. It rests with ourselves. There is 
no necessity for our being divided against each other—the North against the. 
South or the South against the Central. Let us amalgamate, and we shall have- 
more than one Minister in our Cabinet, and more than one set of gentlemen 
representing us in the Assembly. 
Mr. T. pe M. Mvrray-Prior (Maroon): Mr. Deacon has struck the 
right note in the title of his paper, and that is—organisation among farmers. 
The Government have shown what can be done in this direction by calling us 
together from every part of Queensland, and there is no gathering at which this 
matter could be better discussed than the present. We must organise if we: 
mean to progress. We are representatives of the producing industries that 
are the backbone of the country, and if we want those industries to go ahead 
it is necessary that we organise. I think myself that the best way to organise. 
is for the societies here represented to mutually co-operate, and assist each 
other by delegates from their meeting each year, in the manner suggested by 
Mr. MclIlwraith. Let us have a chamber of agriculture, or, rather, a chamber- 
of producers. 
Mr. A. Morrar (Radford): This chamber of agriculture is a grand idea. 
It will, of course, be for the sake of gaining information with regard to 
statistics and spreading it amongst us. It will also be for the purpose of 
getting seeds for us to experiment with. This chamber, to be a thorough 
success, however, should be under State control, and, so far as I can see, we. 
already have a chamber of agriculture. Surely we should give the Agricul- 
tural Department, which is practically everything that the saggested chamber- 
of agriculture would be, a little snow. Let us see what a Agricultural 
Department is going to develop into. It has done good work, and I have faith 
that it will do better in the future. I do not wish to say anything to dis- 
eon ee this proposed chamber, but I must confess that I think it seems a bit 
of a fad. 
Mr. Leste G. Corrie (Brisbane); I think Mr. Moffat has a little lost 
the intention of the writers of the papers—of two of them at least. The subject 
can be divided a little. If you tackle purely educational work, of course the 
Agricultural Department is the most qualified to conduct that; and the: 
a 
