Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

FRIDAY, 17 OCTOBER 1947

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

Questions. [17 OCTOBER.] 1\lletropolitan District, &c., Bill. 829

FRIDAY, 17 OCTOBER, 1947. '' 4. What assurance can he give that legislation for the establishment of a joint coal board will be introduced before Parlia­ M~. SPEAKER (Hon. S. J. Brassington, ment adjourns for the Christmas recess~'' FoTbtude Valley), took the chair at 11 a.m. Hon. E. M. HANLO~ (Ithaca) replied- ' '1. The question of extending the Coal QUESTIONS. Inc1ustrv Act to Stat·es other than New South Wales was raised at the Premiers' APPEALS AGAINST PUNISHMENT, RAILWAY Conference in August last. Following a DEPARTMENT., subsequent consultation which I had with .:t!r. AIKENS (Mundingburra) asked the the Prime Minister, it was arranged that MinisteT for 'l'ransport- the Chairman of the Joint Coal Board should visit Queensland to discuss the possibility ' 'With TegaTd to my question of 15 of agreement being reached for the extension Oct~ber an~ answer the.reto Tespecting of the Coal Industry Act to this State. The pumshment Imposed on railway employees Chairman and other members of the .Joint m the N 01·thern Division during the period Coal Board visit·ed Brisbane on the 3rd 1 J?ly, 1946, to 30 June, 1947, what classifi­ October and confened with myself, the cation was held by each of the five salaried Secretary for Mines, and officers of his employees l'fl'Pivina over £400 per annum Department. Since then, the Queensland who were punishedin that period and what Government's proposals for the formation punishment was imposed in each 'ease~'' of such a Board have been submitted to the Hon. J. E. DUGGAN (Toowoomba) Pri~ne Minister for consideration. replied- "::. ~egotiations for the establishment of '' 'rhe infOTmation desired by the hon. a .Joint Coal Board in Queensland are still member is as under:- · proceeding. Right from the outset the Queensland Government has made it a condi­ ''Station-master, fine £5; yard fore­ tion that any Joint Coal Board set- up in this man, f!_ne £2 ;_ permanent way inspector, State should be so constituted as to give fine, £;:,; statiOn-master, fine £5 and loss Queensland majority representation. With of pay for 13 days under suspension; this view t-he Miners' Federation have pern_mnent way inspectoT, dismissed the service.'' agreed. '' 3. The negotiations are not affected. '' 4. EYerv effort will be made to intro­ Ex-ARMY BUILDINGS FOR STATE SCHOOLS. duce the necessary legislation before the Mr. J1IARRIOTT (Bulimba) asked the close of the present Session.'' SecTetary for Public Instruction- PAPERS. '' At- how many schools in the State has the accommodation shortage been alleviated The following paper was laid on the table by the utilisation of ex- army buildings~ " and ordered to be p•rinted :- Report of the Public Service Commissioner Hon. H. A. BRUCE (The Tableland) for the year 1946-1947. replied- The following paper was laid on the '' Sufficient ex-aTmy buildings to alleviate table:- the accommodation shortage at twenty­ Regulations unde

SUPPLY. material and by the same token the same COMMITTEE-FINANCIAL STATEMENT­ applies exactly to our primary industries. At RESUMPTION OF D'EBATE, a later stage I will endeavour to outline to a greater degree the attitude we should take ~The Cl~airman of Committees, Mr. Manu, and the plans we should lay for the continual Bnsbane, m the chair.) expansion of our primary industries. The Debate resumed from 16 October (see paae season is good and I should say that prices 828) on Mr. Larcombe 's motion- " were never better for the primary commodi­ "That th~re be granted to His Majesty, ties we have for sale. We should take time for the s~rvice of the year 1947-48, a sum bv the forelock and endeavour t·o achieve that not ex~edmg £500 to defray the salary of measure of stability which is desirable and the Aide-de-Camp to His Excellency the desired by the great bulk of our primary Governor.'' producers to ensure tha't we avoid the slumps that occurred after the previous war as a Hon. _H. H. COLLINS (Cook-Secretary result of the fact that price levels rose to for A;gncultur~ and S~ock) (11.8 a.m.): In extremely high levels. speakmg on tlus n•ry Important Vote, at the The work the Government haYe done in outset I want to compliment the Treasurer connection with the Blair Athol coalfield up on the presentation of the Budget, which to date is, I think, an outstanding achieve­ shows a small surplus, the ninth successive ment. It is still in the hands of the negotiators, surplus. that has been shown in Queensland but the prospecto are particularly pleasing. by vanous Treasurers during the last nine Tremendous development can take place not ;years. I doubt whether there has ever been only in the Blair Athol field but in many m the histor:J; of this or any other State such other coalfields of the State. To mention onlv a long contmuous succession of small sur­ two, Collinsville and Callide are probably just pluses, which shows that there has been a as rich as Blair A thol, if not richer. very c~reful estimate of the revenue and expenditure, and after the estimate has been The GoYernment, I repeat, are proceeding made and after the loans have been aorranaed on right and sound lines for the future welfare ~here has be~n particularly careful scrutiny and prosperity of the State. For instance, take the expansion in mining generally. Prices m the spen~mg of that money 60 that it "ould be I~ either overspent nor under spent. for silver-lead and copper are good. Com­ !he result IS r:flected in the general prosper­ panies are exploring and the Secretary for Ity of all sectiOns of the communitv in this Mines is doing the right thing by giving them State at the present time. I have he'ard some security while they explore the underground hon. members argue, that as there has been wealth that undoubtedly lies in various parts a ":ar and the State did not have any oppor­ of the State. I have heard complaints by some t~mrty .to overspend, there is no particula•r persons that we should not give the big mining vutue I~ this rc:·,lt but the fact is that it companies any security at all, on the ground wa~ aclneved not unly during the war but that we should thus deprive the small pros­ before the war and sine;; the war so that pector of his legitimate reward. That is all ;you haYe ~he three. pictures before you-that right up to a point, but today prospecting is m peace-time, durmg the war and since the carried out on a big scale. Sums running into war the Treasurer has kept the· same careful hundreds of thousands of pounds may have to con_trol of the finances of the State, and the be expended in investigations before big ore pohcy of the Government has been such that bodies are proved and the work of winning the state of prosperity in Queensland has the metal begun. That can be done success­ ne> er reached a higher peak than at the fully only if sufficient capital is provided and present time. the most up-to-date methods are used to extract the metal from the ore. If t·he most ~omc peop_le will argue that it is because pnces are lngh that everything is buoyant scientific methods are not applied, such a venture will not be a success. Those are soine but let us measure our prosperity by the sam~ standard as the 1938-39 prices and we find of the reasons IYhy it is necessary to let companies that have capable men with long ~hat we are still £22,000,000 up on annual m come measured against the pre-war year's experience of mining make the preliminary figures. That shows that the affairs of this investigations. State "·ere well managed in the year 1946-47 Tin is also commanding a very good price. and have been well managed for a great In both tin- and gold-mining there is wide number of vears and how careful the Govern­ scope for the small prospector working small ment have been to see that the requirements alluvial deposits. In some areas gold can be o~ the St:'te h~ve heen _met. Today the only worked by the small prospector, as can wolf­ pioblem m tlns State IS that there is more ram and molybdenite. The prospector still money to buy 15oods than there are goods t·o serves a very useful purpose, and he now\ haEI buy and more .Jobs for men to do than men to some inducement to carry on because he knows do them. ·what a complete contrast between that in the country there are big mining that position and the position of a number of interests ready to take advantage of his ve~rs ag~! Pro_spects of both secondary and discoveries. pnmar~· mdustnes have never been better in All these things show how wisely t-he people the Sta~e 's _existence .. Secondary industries are of the State acted at the last election when expat;dmg m ~ver:y 1duection and the only limit they ignored the overtures made by the various to tlns expansion Is the capacity of the manu­ political parties that opposed Labour and re· facturers and the leading industrial entre· elected a Labour Government. By their action preneurs to obtain the necessary labour and the people showed the confidence that they Supply. [17 OCTOBER.) Supply. 831 had in the Labour Government and that confi­ elections they repudiated statements made dence has been justified in the Budget presented during election time. The people. ho\Yever, by the Treasurer. As everyone who has taken were not unduly misled or misguided. any active interest in politics knows, the two main political parties opposing Labour are the On 6 October, 1947, therP was another Country Party and the so-called Queensland article appearing in the Brisbane '' Tel~: People's Party. Each of these parties went graph.'' I am sure that the ''Telegraph to the people with not the slightest hope of has not been so kindly to the Opposition_ as obtaining a majority in Parliament, because the ''Courier-Mail'' has been. That. article even if the whole of its candidates had been is headed- elected they would not have been sufficient in '' Jolt to Composite Government Idea.'' number to form a majority. In OTder to get There was a distinct split in the forces over that difficulty these two parties agreed of the Opposition on the question of the 40- to form a composite Government should they hour week. The Queensland People's 1'arty be returned in sufficient numbers. They took came over to this side of the Chamber and the view that their ideas were so closely allied voted with the Government. I am glad to that there was no reason why they could not say that in some cases they have show:n join together and share the Treasury benches, sense; the Country Party sits solidly and I but at election time the question arose-and 1 say mulishly on that side of the Chamber feel sure it was fully explained from many and refuses to give the co-operation that they platforms-that it would be very difficult to P'romiscd so wholeheartedly during the el~c­ decide who was to be Premier. That had not tion campaign. It was a pleasing spectacle been decided when the election was held. It to a person like- myself, who during the elec­ would also be very difficult to decide how many tion was very hard put to it at times to k:ep ministerial portfolios should be allocated to up with the misrepresentation that was gomg each Party. Again, where they differed in on \Vhilst continually travelling over long policy, whose policy was to be pursued~ No distances, being more or less mY O'\U cam­ answers were ever given to those questions, paign director and having to cover 56,000 but immediately after the election, we find squa•re miles of tenitory. It wonld have once again the continual disagreement that been profitable to the people had they been must inevitably arise between political parties told the truth in the :first place instead . of with separate and distinct ideologies. finding it out some months after the election In the main the Country Party represents was over. country interests. It has no city interests. 1 On 13 October-only laBt week-there was do not say that it·s claim is justified, but its another article in the ''T·elegraph'' inspired major rla'im is that it represents the country by or written by the Count•ry Party to this interests, just as the Queensland People's effect- Party represents purely Brisbane interests. " The Country Partv will stand on own The Queensland People's Party is a Queen feet.'' street party. On the ot·her hand tlie Labour They continue to say that they will st~nd Party is interested in the whole of the on their own feet until it comes to the t1me State, and is representative of the whole of of an election and then they seem to succumb the State from the New South Wales border and say, "We will be good fellows until to Cape York and from Brisbane to South after the election.'' Australia. Looking into the Federal sphere, we find At 11.20 a.m., that the same two political bedfellows do the Mr. DUNSTAN (Gympie) relieved the same wrangling. I believe the late M_r. Chairman in the chair. Lyons was the leader of the United Australia Party and as soon as he passed away the Mr. COLLINS: Now, those are the state­ leade•r of the Country Party became t~e ments I make but let us look at some of the Prime Minister for a few days. When Sir statements that came f•rom the other political Earle Page became Prime Minister those on party. Wf' read in thf' "Telegraph" of the United Australia Party side said, ''We 13 May, 1947, that the Country Party came will not work under him; we want to have out with headlines to say- the Prime Minister on our side.'' Then Mr. l\fenzies steps up as Prime Minister and '' C.P. Should not be Entangled. carries on for a while at the beginning of ''Some campaign officials believed the the war. Do not let us forget, Mr. Dun~tan, Country Party could achieve greater that this was in one of the most penlous election successes by freeing itself from hours this country has faced, as it was the any arrangement or entanglement with any time 1vhen the world was being armed and other party, Mr. N. G. Hatton said today.'' the whole of the outlook of our country was Those are the words of its rulers and they very grim and fearful indeed. condemn what was being extolled just a few These two political parties were closely weeks previously by members of the two united in the Federal arena, it was alleged, political parties at the election campaign. but they could not keep the peace amongst Mr. Decker: Why are you so worried? themsel~es. Mr. Menzies became Prime Minister. He went oversea~, as he was }Jr. COLLINS: Before I finish my speech entitled to do to see what the situation was I will show how misleading the Country there, and in \is absence the Deputy Prime Party and the Queensla'nd 1'eople 's I:' arty Minister, the Leader of the Country Party propaganda has always been. After the in the Federal House, so successfully under- 832 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

mined his 1~ader that when Mr. Menzies \Ve hear nothing from hon. members oppo­ retll'med dh,m tisfaction in the ranks was w site in praise of what the Labour Govem­ rife that he had to resign. He ;vas succeeded ment haYe done in this connection, but we• by Mr. J<'addcn, the Leader of the Country haye misleading statements galore, which if Party, afterwards the Rt. Hon. A. }'adden, uttered outside Parliament would be libdlous. who hlld office as Prime Minister for about They endea;~our to mislead the country people, three ~weeks. the farmers in particular, and in this they are doing a very serious and gross. dissCJTiCt' ::\Jr. JUoore: For 40 days. to the primary producers of this country, ant1 if they are allowed to get away ;vith it the~· ~Ir. COLIJSS: Well then, perhaps for 40 IYi!l do much to destroy the JYresent satis~ days. The people of A11stralia ;ve•re told a fartOJ'Y situation that has been built up, onJ,,~ very mysterious story at that time but after a great deal of trouble, in the solution bee~ use, of the l~ck. of cohesion amoug~t the of the man;- problems facing that section of antr~Laoour parties m the Federal House they our people. Today the primary producers are were unable to continue as a GovernmPnt. in a more secure position in the sale of their "\Ve have had ample demonstration of that commodities than thev ha;·e cYer been in the ln~k of cohesion in this Parliament during histoTy of the :State: Let us see that this tins very sesswn, despite the fact that only sound and stable condition of the primar:· a fe"· months ago the self-same pa•rtics said producers continues. After all, it is onl;· that they could successfully cany on a stability that they want. While these repre­ compos1te GoYernment. sentatives outside try to mislead the peoplt' by deliberate falsehoods-! am not accusing After the fall of the Fadden Ministry in all of them, but I do definitely accuse some the Federal Parliament, the Labour p'arty -the result is going to be that possibly the was called upon to form a Goyernment. This primary producer may be left high and dr:·. it did, and the GoyenunEnt it fonnecl !taYe as he has be1n left before, and fall a victim ea•nied on successfully ever since dcs11ite the to the commission agents, to the land sales~ ~aet that originally they were i1{ a 1~1inority men, and the misleading propaganda of hou. m both Houses of Parliament. That GoveTn­ members opposite. ment carried on the affairs of Australia y n· Now take only one illustration that hr,~ successfully during the difficult period of ,,·ai·. been used by the" hon. member for Fassifern. The,Y saycd,. the cou~vry from aggression durmg the mfficult perwd of war, and are at llir. lliuller: I thought this was coming. thB moment engaged in a campaign for the defeJ_lCe of the country by the expansion of J}Ir. COLLINS: It is and it is coming in 1t~ mdustries, whereby large numbers of big lumps, too. m1grants may be absorbed. They have helped both primary and secondary industries J'IIr. :Jiuller: I can take it; you be careful. to a considerable degree. ·~ ~Ir. COLLI~S: I have always been care­ J'IIr. N~icklin: And to such an extent that ful. The primary producers can rclv on what they cannot get the requisite man-power. I say as being true. (Opposition laughter.) This hon. member is one of the leaders of lUr. COLLINS: The Leader of the Opposi­ his industry and should be in a very faiT tion complains that the }'ederal Labour position to know the true facts relating to it. Government haYe helped to expand these He is also a leader in the farming world. He industries to such an extent that at the has achieved a position of high responsibility. present time there are not enough m,n to He is responsible to the fa'l'mers as a member carry out all the wD'l·k associated with them of this Chamber. Accordingly he should con­ but what a difference between what obtain~ vey correct impressions, he should be tTuthful today and what was a common occurrence a in statements about the industry he knows few years baBk before Labour assumed control, about, namely, the butter industry. when men could not find work, when about lUr. 1\Iuller: He knows all about it, too. 30 per cent. of our people ~were wande•ring the roads looking for jobs, and those in work lUr. COLLINS: I quite believe that, but w_ere working only part time~ Look at the he does not tell the people all about it. The disastrous conditions that obtained in 1931 hon. member is Yice~president of the Queens­ under a Government to \Vhom hon. members land Farmers' Co-opcratinl Association Ltd., opposite owed political allegiance, a pa•rty which has mu~h to do with the sale of om that hope~ some day perhaps to gain control butter. He kno>YS it is essential to produce of the rems of government in the Federal good butter so that we can have the best Parliament. The Federal Labour Goyern­ for export, in OTder that our butter will lw ment ha Ye clone a mighty job for the primary in demand when markets become moTe noT­ producers, but despite all they haYe clone to mal than they are at present. For that give . t!1em a better way · of liYing, more reason a very strict system of gmcling has amen~h.es, better prices, better roads, more been instituted in our buttrr factories. VVhnt electnCJty, water conservation and so on the do WE' find~ We have laid it down that butter representatives of the pa

instructed to grade correctly and pay the of the biggest butter organisation in Queens­ farmers acCO'rding to the quality of their land and deputy chairman of the biggest butter. There is no harm in that. If a butter factory company in Queensland. It farmer brings in choice cream he should be is a very serious thing. paid for it, while if he brings in second-grade cream he shoc

interest·ing feature is that by hand-feeding Mr. lUul1er: You are not blaming me for he was able to double his production at a all that. time when total factory output was very low throughout. lUr COLLINS: I am certainly blaming ''Another Y argullen farmer fed crushed the hon. member for some of it because he is grain for four dry months (August-N ovem­ one of the very few men in this State who ber, 1946) at a cost of 13s. 7d. per cow per continually argue that it does not pay to feed month. His average return per cow per the cows. month was 45s., leaving him with a net )fr. l\fuller: It is true, too. profit of 31s. 5d. per cow per month. A typical case of a farmer in the same area A Government I\Iember: The Minister is who did not feed showed a return of only debunking him. 19s. 9d. per cow per month for the four­ month period.'' Mr. COLLINS: I am debunking the hon. member this morning. His own people, if ~Ir. )fuller: Give us the lot. they so desire, can get the whole story I am giving. With that in mind and the effort 1\Ir. COLLINS: They are all tabulated. ma'de by the officers of my Department and myself as Minister to point out the weak­ Mr. I\Iuller: I have read it. nesses of what is happening in the dairying 1\Ir. COLLJNS: The hon. member has not industry, I would point out that a few months seen these figures. ago I was at a meeting of butter-factory The article proceeds- managers and secretaries. The chairman of '' The case of three adjacent milk-produc­ that very representative meeting of the dairy­ ing farms in the \Varwick district might be ing industry said that the Government had cited. Two of the farmers who hand-fed done nothing to help the dairy farmer and largely with home-grown lucerne hay pro­ that statement appeared with very big head­ duced milk equivalent to nearly 300 lb. of lines in the Press the following day. butter-fat per cow. The third farmer did The following day, too, I was addressing a not feed-his aYerage butter-fat was 145 meeting and I said that at least the Govem­ lb. per cow.'' ment had increased the price of their butter by over 50 per cent., but during the same 1\Ir. Mulh~·r: You wait until you hear my period the quality of the butter that was reply. being produced in Queensland-and this was lUr. COLLINS: I could go on ad lib. but not the affair of the Government at all but this is the sorry story of the whole thing. a matter directly under the control of the Remember that this honourable leader of the dairymen and butter-factory managers-had butter world states it does not pay to feed decreased from 55 per cent. of choice to the cows! Butter production fell during the 33 per cent. of choice. I pointed out also year 1946-47 by 12,129 tons, so that a total that during the same period, which was not a drought period but a reasonable average value of £2,369,000 was lost; brought about by not feeding the cattle. period of five years, production per cow had gone down from 145 lb. to 131 lb. of butter. J.Ur. Low: Bad prices. The only ansvver coming from the hon. member was, ''Those words must have been Mr. COLLINS: The best prices they uttered from the lips of a blind person.'' ever had. That is all the hon. member knows I am not blind, neither am I dumb. I am ~bout· country people. He just displays his telling hon. members the true position and 1 Ignorance of country matters when he says it hope that everyone in the hon. member's was bad prices. They were the best prices electorate reads what I say. After giving the farmers ever had. these figures I said that at least the Govern­ There was an estimated loss of 100 000 ment were doing something and I questioned dairy cows on top of this colossal los~ of whether the dairying industry itself was £2,369,000, and these could have been saved doing enough. by hand-feeding. The hon. member said that the price would not be so bad if the Federal Government I\Ir Muller: What are you going to feed were not thieving so much of the money that them on~ belongs to the dairymen. He went on to say that the Federal Government are holding 1\Ir. COLLINS: What are you feeding £5,800,000 of money that belongs to the them on today~ dairy farmers of Queensland. I do not accuse There is an abundance going to waste at the hon. member of being the only one, but the present time. I do say that he is the worst offender in this Chamber and the leader of the Country Party .:lf.r. Muller: Can you understand? in Canb~rra, Mr. Faddcn, is just as big an I\Ir. COLLINS: I cannot understand the offender. If these two men were innocents abroad like some hon. members opposite I hon. member. Nobody who wants to be could at least forgive them, but nobody will logical could say that it does not pay to feed say that Mr. Fadd~n is. an innocent abroad, cows. On top of the colossal loss I have just at least as far as JUgglmg figures for taxa­ mentioned, there was· a loss of 100,000 cattle at tion is concerned, and apparently he is using an approximate value of abont £700,000, the same type of propaganda here in an effort making the t·otal estimable loss of approxi­ to mislead the dairy farmers by telling them mately £3,069,000. the Federal Government are holding a great Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 835

sum of money that belongs to the dairy ~h. COLLIXS: It is no excuse, but the farmeTs. Th,• present Federal GoYelnment, simple truth. The British Government, recog­ 1ealising that the price of butter to the nising the in;iastice of paying the Common­ dairymen was too low when they took office, >Yealth Gownunent less than they had already immediately, and for the iirst time a Federal paid to the dairy farmer, were honest enough Goyernment have ever done anything to help to refund the money. Those aTe iigures tnken the dairy farmers, increased the price. from official somces. I will go a step further, ~Ir. Jt!uHer: They have not done it now; and quotr a letter from the general man'lgL'r they ha1·e kept it down, and employed men of the Commonwealth Dairy Produce EquiJi,a­ to help keep it down. tion Committee Limited, Mr. Sheehy. ?lir. COLLINS: I am setting the true lUr. }Inller: We have that. stmy against the hon. member's story and the t>YO are as far apart as the poles. \Vhen JUr. COLLINS: I am glad the hon. mem­ the Federal Labour Gm·ernment were retunwd ber has it. No wonder he hung his he'ld this to power prices >vcre immediutely pegged at morning. 1041 values. Seeing that the price of butter ::lfr. }fuller: You will not understand had rang!'d bct>Yeen 1s. and 1s. ld. for a this letter. number of years, they pegged the retail price to the consumer at about ls. 5d. or ls. 6d. }lr. COLLINS: The hon. member will and tho>n, in order to increase the price to understand this one. It is addressed to me the dairy farmer by 3d. a lb., they gave and is headed, ''Contract sales of butter to wry considerable subsidies. the United Kingdom,'' and reads- )Ir. ?liuller: And kept the price down. '' I furnish briefly as under information relevant to the points raised in your phone 'Mr. COLLINS: They gave considerable talk with me of yesterday, in regard to the ~ubsidies to inrrease the price. I object to ahoYementioned matter. these interjections, which are intended to mislead. The hon. member has just said, ''Since time of commencement of the sa le ''And kept the price down,'' the inference by contract of our sm·plus butter to the being that they kept the price down to the Government of the 'Cnited Kingdom in the dairy faTmer. They stabilised the price to early stages of the war, prices paid by the the consumer at the old rate. As time >Yent British Ministry of Food have at nll times on, they increased the price to 1s. 6d. in been passed on in ~ull to b~tt.er f~ctorie~. 1933-34. Any misunderstandmg obtammg m th1s connection is no doubt due to the fact that l'lfr. JUuller: And still kept the price such pTices in respect of the years 1943-44, down. 1944-45 and 1945-46 failed to cover the Com­ monwealth Government for values actually }Jr. COLLI~S: Mr. Dunstan, I object to paid on butter, the subject of con~mct sales, to these interjections. to bring returns theTefrom to pnmary pro­ ducers to levels in keeping with costs of Tlte TEMPORARY CHAIR:riiAN: Order! pToduction as Tecognised by the Govern­ lUr. COLLINS: In 1945-46 they increased ment, and the Commonwealth was recouped it again. for its expenditure in this regard by way of lump sum payments OT grants by the Jir. l'IIuUer interjected. British Ministry of Food. The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: I ask ''In none of the years refnred to did the the hon. member to obey my call to order. total payment by 'the Ministry of Food (price plus lump sum payment or grant) Mr. COI,I,INS: As I was saying, in represent a return in excess of that actually 1945-46 they increased it again to Is. Hd. paid to the factories by the Commonwealth rt lb. Now, despite those increases, the dairy foT export butter. farmer has been getting a better and more stable price than he ever got. This the hon. '' 'rhe contract price in respect of the member for Fassifern denies, and he says the vear 1946-47 provided for the first time a Commonwealth Government have kept this i·etm·n in excess of that necessary to meet £5,800,000. My answer to that is that during the production cost iigure, as recognised b~· the war the Common'wealth Government were the Commonwealth GoYernment. As a hoYe paying the dairy faTmers a higher pTice for indicated, howeYer, this .price als?, has hccn butter than they were getting under the passed on in full to the mdustry. British contract. 'When the British Gm·ern­ I table that letter. ment 's attention was drawn to the fact they CWhereupon the hon. gentleman tabled the made certain refunds to the Commomvealth letter.) Government of money that that Government had already paid out to the dairying industry. The present Federal Labour Government, In 1943-44 that Tebate from the British Gov­ with the help of the dairy farmers themselves, ernment was £1,439,579, in 1944-45 it was set up a committee to inquire into the cost £2,693,191 and in 1945.46 £1,654,692, a total of producing butter with the object of of £5,787,462 that was refunded to the Com· stabilising the price for a number of years. monwealth Government because they had The most comprehensive survey ever made in already paid it out to the dairy farmer. this connection in the history of the conn try has been made and the Federal Govermnent }lr. Muller: What an excuse! have agreed that the dairy farmers shall be 836 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

paid 2s. a lb. at the butter factory, with a sion should be made for a review of prices five-year contract subject to review as costs over a period of years because one of the rise or fall. greatest hazards or one of the greatest draw­ baeks to primary producers has been the JUr. JUULLER.: Mr. Dunstan, I rise to a fluctuation in the value of their commodity. point of order. ThA Minister's statement is Let us for a moment consider the position misleading. ·while there may be a contract in the \YOOl industry, one of the greatest for five years, no price is guamnteed over primarv industries in this country. From that period. It is subject to review. J 911 to 1916, \Yhich includes a period prior to the first ·world War, the aYerage price for 'I' he TEliiPORARY CHAIKIIAN: There is no point of order. wool \Yas 11.86d. per lb. During the war, in 1916-17, the price rose :-!Ir. COLLINS: Of course, the price is sharply to 15.81d. per lb. Dming 1917-18-1 ?- subject to review according to a rise or fall 20 the price rose to 16.69d. per lb. Then m in the cost of production-a very desirable 1921-22 it fell to 13.16d. After 1922 the thing. However, let us hope that· a 'rory price fell to 10d. per lb. In 1926-28-29 it Government are not returned in the Federal rose again to 17.20d., but in 1930-ill it again Parliament, otherwise they will reduce the fell to 8.36d. The price recovered again in price or destroy the whole scheme. Does the 1934 to 15.84d.. but fell next year to 9.75d. hon. member for Fassifern suggest that a \Vhat a glorions opportunity for the exploiter price should be fixed now to operate for five and pTofitcer, who definitely rigged • these years and that it is not at all likely that cost markets t Hon. members oppos·ite are the of production will increase over that period'? men who are standing in the corners of the What the dairy farmer wants is stability, racketeer and profiteer in these industries. security, and a reasonable price for his (Opposition laughter.) Then the price of commodity. Therefore, is it not reasonable wool rose f:rom 10d. per lb. to 16d. in 1945. to provide that there shall be an opportunity Then in 1946-47 the price was 24.48d. .In to review the price in accordance with the the first series of sales for 194 7-48 the prwe rise or fall in the cost of production? rose again to 35.23d. That is just one example in the wool industry. It has had This is the best offer ever made by any record high prices and record low prices •right Government to the dairy farmers in the through the period. The higher the prices history of Australia. Although Tory Govern­ rose the lo\Yer were they depressed. ments haYe been in power in the Federal arena for a period of 47 years with the Let me take meat. In 1913 the price of exception of a few years, they have not lifted cattle in Brisbane was 23s. per 100 lb. Dur­ one hand to help the dairying industry and ing \Vorld War I. this price rose> very sharply I firmly believe that hon. members opposite until in 1919 it •reached 45s. In 1921 it and the parties to which they belong would dropped to 16s. The price from 1922 to rather see the dairy farmer suffer the tortures 1935 averaged about 20s. From 1935 to 1939, of the damned for the rest of their lives than with war looming again, you could see the accept anything from a Labour Government. intrusion of the specula tor as the price rose Hon. members opposite and their political to 30s. It continued to rise until in 194 7 colleagues in the Federal arena have done it has risen to the astronomical figure of nothing to help the farmers but have fought 56s. Those P'rices tell exactly the same strenuously to destroy their confidence in the story. Labour Governments, when in point of fact• You can see the same factors operating the Federal Government are the only Govern­ in the sugar industry. Although figures are ment who have given the dairy farmers an a little wearying, I do want to present these, organisation that will help them and other as they are worth presenting, in order to primary producers. ·when the interests of the try to do some good to our primary indus­ produce agents, land speculators, and land tries in an effort to stabilise prices. In 1924 salesmen are assailed, hon. members opposite the export price of sugar was £21 a ton, but can always be depended upon to Tange them­ by the following year it Mopped £11 5s. 9d. selves on t·heh side against the dairy faTmers. Then in 1926 it Tose to £10 10s. The average price from 1927 to 1938 was under £10. At I think it is nearly time to break this one period it fell as low as £7 lls. 3d. In damnable influence that is being exerted by 1939 the pTice averaged £10 12s., but in the hon. members opposite in an endeavour to years that followed, up to 1943, it increased mislead the primary producers with the object to £13 2s. 6d. In 1944 it rose again to to destroy the ~Pcurity that LaboUT Govern­ £15 Os. 6d. In 1945 the price was £16 17s., ments are tTying to build up for them. How­ increasing in 1946 to £21 10s. and in ~he ever, I feel certain that the primary producers following yea•r, 1947, to £25 10s., at whiCh will not be unduly misled by them. The time the price stands at the present time. was never more opportune than the present for the drawing up of a similaT contract I could go through the whole ramification between the Federal Government and the of our primary industries and they wou~d whole of the primary producers, assuring them tell the same story. The butter industry IS a reasonable and payable price for their but another example. Would it not J:e a products. It would be one of the most out­ glorious opportunity fo•r us to approach either standing moves that could be made in the the Federal Goven1ment or the British Gov­ establishment of stable conditions for this ernment through the Federal Government in most honoured and most necessary section of order to achie,·e a stabilised price for our our community-the primary producers. Provi- primary products over a period of years W It Supply. [17 OcTOBER.] Supply. 837 was stated by Lord Addison the other day being of Queens'land. But I bear in mind the that the British farmer under a Labour fact that our State's moneta1·y system at Administration knows for three years ahead the present time is entirely dominated by >~·hat price he is going to be paid. The the Commonwealth; therefore it is going to Govemment fix the price and for three years be very diffieult to give efrective expression a he ad the farmers have complete stability. to the principles contained in the :i''inancial I ask with all the sinceritv of which I am Statement. Before we 0an do anything cap~hle that w~ do exactl~ the same thing "-orth while nowadays, permission must be at the present tnne on behalf of the primary obtained from the CommomYcalth. prod_n.cers m1d endeavour to get long-term This is amply clear to men who have had stalnhsc

We shall find Queensland will become head of something between £3 and £4 a ton, dominated by big southern business and city and there is no guarantee that the grain interests to a greater degTer. In the Federal sorghum would be exp01ted at all. sphere today political Tepresentation, on a comparative basis, is at the ratio of more The unfortunate part about it is that on than 2 : 1 in favour of the cities of t:lydney the Downs many of the growers involved are and Melbourne, af! compared to the political returned soldiers. They came back after representation in the Federal Parliament from fighting for a number of years, and spent Queensland. I think we realise and all hon. their all in preparing land in 1945-46, only members will ag1ree that in the political to receive no return, because of the drought. sphere today political expediency is tho 'l'hey grew grain sorghum in the hope that dominating factor and plays a greater part they would redeem the situation, and they, in common with other growers, are suffering. than the dr~ire to serve the best interests of the country and its people. Because of lack of knowledge and lack of interest, an available potential market at a Perhaps one of the most apt illustrations remunerative price is denied to these men. of recent times of how Queensland and its All anangements were made to bring it down interests havr suffered as the result of politi­ and load it into ships. The ships are waiting cal domination of centralised authoritv in in our ports to take this grain to the starving Canberra is the grain-sorghum position· af5 it people in other parts of the world, yet the exists in Queensland today. On behalf of the Department of CommeTce, centralised in Can­ growers of this commodity I have something berra, for some unknown reason, has said to say, and roughly the position is this: that 1vhile 1ve can export our surplus of maize from NoTth Queensland we must keep 'rod·ay 20,000 tons or more of grain sorghum our surplus of grain sorghum here. is in the hands of Queensland producers, and all of it is surplus. I pay the Minister the Another aspect is that the likely realisa­ compliment of saying that if this matter had tion on this grain sorghum is in the vicinity been controlled and directed by his depart­ of between £8 and £9 a ton while wheat is ment the correct thing would have been done. worth about £30 a ton. Why' this differentia­ He made representations to the Department tion between sections of the primaTy-producing of Commerce, immediately the wheat crop community~ was assured, 'for the lifting of the ban on The onlv reason we have had given to us is the exp!lrt of grain sorghum. The condition that it is in the interests of the State and the of that grain is causing much concern to its Commonwealth that it should be kept in owners, and the reply to the Minister's repre­ Queensland. I suggest to this Chamber, Mr. sentations was unduly belated. After some Mann, that if it is in the interests of t~e weeks of procrastination an adverse decision State and the Commonwealth that the gram was given. should be kept here, then it should be a Com­ I would point out here that the representa­ monwealth responsibility. I am going to s~g­ tions made by the' Minister were for permis­ gest further that you cannot have authonty sion to export the surplus of maize from the without responsibility. The inefficient Atherton Tableland and the surplus of grain authority in the southern States is handing sorghum from the Darling Downs. For some over the financial responsibility to the pro­ unknown reason, the Department of Com­ ducers of grain sorghum, so that it is they merce granted permission to export the maize who have to bear anv loss that occurs. I sug­ but withheld permission to export the surplus gest that if we had a comparable injustice grain sorghum, and I am not going to be so operating in the industrial sphere we should unkind as to say anything about the particu­ have a strike that would shake the founda­ lar electorate in which the maize happened tiom of this country, but because this con­ to be held. cerns primary producers, who have ~lw:ays endeavoured to stand loyal to the prmc1ple An investigation of the position in Quoons­ thev lmo1v governs this country, they are sorely laRd will disclose that there is enough surplus and hopelessly neglected. I think it· is a grain sorghum in the hands of the merchants shame and a 1;efiection and a practical demon­ today to meet any likely local d€mand. stration of the injustice this State is suffer­ Another factor is that throughout the whole ing, has suffered and will continue to suffer of the Commonwealth we are on the eve of from if we contribute to the pernicious system a record harvest. Everyone interested in of centralised control and authority in this burning question of the marketing of Canberra. grain sorghum has explored every avenue, and it has been amply demonstrated that there I listened with keen interest to the speech is no market for it here. The grain is now delivered by the hon. member for Bremer on in a bad condition, it is in the hands of Private Members' Dav. He made, shall I the producers who are anxious to get rid sav, some very startling and important state­ of it, the wheat harvest is pending, and they ments. The 'remarkable thing is that on a must get it away. previous occasion I heard t·he same hon. me;n­ ber in this Chamber expound the great pnn­ The authorities have made the ridiculous ciple of socialisation of industry. I am won­ suggestion that the grain sorghum be dering how the two can be reconciled-the r€graded, repacked, brought to Brisbane and socialiBation of industry and the fostering of heldc until a market develops. In the first private enterprise that he supported in the place, the expense entailed ·would be too great. speech to which I refer. I am going to say Those who know anything about the industry that· in my humble opinion the Treasurer's will admit that it would build up an over- Budget anticipations cannot be realised, nor Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 839 can we foster the ideals expounded in this until we build again the vast spaces of this Chamber by the hon. member for Bremer, great country. I suggest that the introduc­ unless something is done to restore to mem­ tion of the 40-hour week was not prompted bers of our community the incentive to work. by any desire to serve the best interests of We know that today, because of prevailing the country but rather was a political expedi­ conditions, the incentive to work has been ent as a result of the exertion of influence lost and I think it would be better to devote from without by a political pressure group. It is our time and money to re-establishing that not the desire of the working people to have incentive rather than to spend £100,000,000 in less work to do but that the spending power disturbing a system that has been working of their wages should be increased. They are satisfactorily in this country. No complaints not concerned about the hours they work and have been. made with regard to its activities; no industrial upheaval has ever been based on the idea is to centmlise authority in Canberra. a failure to introduce a 40-hour week. What men want is a· great·er spending power for I do not think the incentive to work will ever be restored in this country until we their earnings and those in the worst position adopt a system whereby men will be paid by in the community today are those with fami­ results; we shall encourage initiative in enter­ lies on the basic wage in the towns. I suggest prise and reward efficiency. Those are the prin­ that the introduction of the 40-hour week is ciples that exist in primary-producing com­ going to react more unfavourably on theni munities-the man who is not efficient and than on any other section of the community. Already the position is deteriorating. We without enterprise goes to the wall. I believe that that is the only way to cure the sickness have only to pick up the daily papers to find and retrieve our position in the industrial that prices of everything are rising and so world. in the near future there will be further demands for more wages. 'We have adopted Conditions are worse today, when hostilities the principle of less work for more money, have ceased, than they were in, say, the third putting less into the pool of labonr and taking year of the war. We have shortages of every­ more out of it, which must· have only one thing, particularly in our rural industries. The effect. hon. member for East Toowoomba gave a very clear exposition yesterday of some of the I am going to skip the wheat industry today because I made a fair contribution on that shortages in our rural areas. In my district, where the producers are keeping the wheels subject to the debate on the Address-in-Reply. However, I should like, on behalf of the wheat­ of industry going, we have experienced acute shortages of essential requirements of life. growers of Queensland, to enter a protest Piping for watering activities was mentioned against the appointment of a retired public servant to the position of chairman of the hv the hon. member for East Toowoomba and iti this regard a very serious and critical Wheat Board. I do not do it in any personal position has developed. It is particularly way. I base the protest on two major prin­ acute where our young men are trying to ciples. We as wheat-growers do not deny that develop new areas. They have shortages of the Minister has the power under the Wheat fencing wire and other essential requirements Pool Act to make such an appointment but I that are retarding their progress. We hear should like to draw his attention to the fact much about shortages of building material for that one of the most successful periods in the the construction of houses. I suggest it would operation of the Wheat Board was that when be a good experience if some of our Cabinet a producer was chairman of the board. Ministers were to go into some of the newly­ Although the Minister undoubtedly has the developed areas and see what our young men legal right, I think he has no moral right to and their brides have to put up with in the exercise the power under the Act to appoint shape of buildings to live in. It would at an outsider as chairman of the board unless he least inspire them to endeavour to do some­ is satisfied that t0 do otherwise would be thing to bring about a better set of condi­ to sacrifice the best interests of the wheat­ tions. These people are living in humpies, growers. I further protest that the most suc­ places constructed of burnt iron and other cessful marketing organisations we have today things, but the building m·aterial coming to are those controlled by the producers them­ this Si ate is not finding its way to the rural selves. They have the interest, the ability and areas. So we have men losing their interest the experience to do this work and in view of ::md ambition and the tendency is for them to the fact that the Wheat Board functioned most tlrlfl to the cities, thus accentuating the grave successfully under the chairmanship of a probkm of centralisation, which is so detri­ wheat-vrower the Minister was not· justified in mental to t·his country. appointing other than a wheat-grower to that position. We n'·e told in and out of this Chamber that man-power shortage is to blame nnd perhaps The second principle involved-i~ i~ not .a to some pxtent it is, because we have shortages personal matter, but a general pnnc1ple;-IS in every activity of life-in our hospitals there that a retired public servant has been g1ven is n ol1ortage of nurses and there is a shortage the job. of' la boHrers in rural areas. In every field of In effect, this is what hapnened; the Govern­ ar.tivi(v thpJ·e is a shortage of labour, but ment sav to a man ''You have outlived your notwithstanding that we have had a 40-hour Jlsefulne'ss. At 65 years we think your use· week introduced into industry, which will fulness is impaired to such an extent that reduce the pool of man-power and aggravate you are no longer able to serve this clepart­ the present situation. This is not the time inent effieientlv.'' He is then placecl on the to do less but rather is it the time to do more, int1ustrial scrapheap. But the Minister thtn 840 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

takes him from that industrial scrapheap no departmental officer appointed specially and places him in the position of chairman to the cheese industry. There was a time in of the Wheat Board, at the expense of the the industry's history when we did, but in growers themselves. It may not be generally the reshuffle we have lost his services. We known in this Chamber that the Wheat Board have dairying officers in the area I speak of, today is not a marketing board. The sale but they have a dual responsibility. They of our wheat is controlled by a Federal must look after not only quality in cheese authority. Consequently our Wheat Board is production, but also herd-testing and all kinds nothing more nor less than a receiving of things. Consequently only a minimum of authority. A growers' chairman has been their time is available to the cheese industry. doing the job for about £200 per annum, The time is long overd ne when special officers but now a retired public servant has been should be allocated to the cheese industry. pitchforked into the position at a salary of They should have an overriding authority £600 plus expenses, at the expense of the and responsibility in this great question of wheat-growers. I am not contending that quality. If we cannot build up our quality1 nothing favourable ean be said about finding the industry and the State will suffer when remunerative positions for political candi· world-wide competition becomes keen. The dates, but I hope it is not going to be a same comments apply to butter and con­ general policy in this land that retired public densed milk. Specialists should be in charge. servants should also get the pickings, particularly if it is to be at the expense of We look for the reasons why we have not our primary producers. I will leave the wheat got these officers, and when we consult industry there. departmental records we find that we are losing them. We have lost three in recent I want to say something about dairying. times, namely, Mr. Kent, senior dairy tech­ Strange as it may seem, I am not going to nologist, Mr. Burgess, dairy technologist, and dwell on the price factor. I will leave that Mr. Park, senior departmental dairy adviser. to the hon. member for Fassifern and the Why were they lost f They have gone to Minister to discuss, but I do want to say other fields because the remuneration there something about the quality problem we are is greater. We must appreciate the fact that up against. The Minister in his contribution such qualified men cannot be obtained over­ to the debate had much to say about quality night. It takes years of scientific training problems in the industry. I can assure him before they are qualified to discharge these that notwithstanding his criticism it is a responsible jobs and during the period of major problem in the industry today. We have training our industries are suffering. In my a breathing spa~e, however. We have at the opinion our· field men in the department are moment ready purchasers for everything we doing a major work-not men in the depart­ can produce in the way of primary products, mental offices, but those out in the field in irrespective of quality, and therefore we close touch with production. It is regrettable have time to put our house in order. Let us that the department has allowed the position encourage the people to do it, for the day to deteriorate until we have a dearth of is coming, perhaps sooner than many of us officers in this State, and the quality of our expect, when we shall have to compete on products is suffering as a result. That may the world's markets on a quality basis. It is be taken as some reply to the criticism that essential that there should be collaboration the :Minister offered here this morning. between the producers, the manufacturers and the officers of the department in bringing Dealing with the manufacture of the about the high quality that is essential if article, we find that the department is falling we are going to compete successfully on the down on its job. We find the 40-hour week markets of the world. has increased our staff difficulties because on the manufacturing side of the dairying I want particularly to· refer to the cheese industry we have to work every day. That industry, which perhaps I know most about. makes it unattractive and as a result it is The manufacture of cheese is a scientific losing the best types of employees. \Ve are process. It is much more difficult to attain finding great difficulty in obtaining practieal a standard of quality in the manufacture of operatives. The department is not helping cheese than in butter. Quality problems in us in any way or to thP degree that we may the cheese industry today are world-wide. \Ve reasonably expect. These operatives cannot have been getting into the industry, where go to the University as we see young men from one does not know, a: bacteria called and women going every day; they have to fage. It haS! the effect of breaking down the study where they are working. No corre­ acidity in the mother starter and also in spondence course is available for them in the manufacture of cheese and of producing Queensland, and if they desire to take such a cheese of low quality. Departmental officers a course it is necessary for them to get it have not been able to deal with this very from New South Wales. It is most important important problem. It is time we faced up that the department should set up a corre­ to the position. spondence course for our operatives to enabl(' them to qualify in this very important I propose to deal with the question of industry. quality undrr three headings, namely, the producers' responsibility, the manufacturers' As to the producers' part in the industry, responsibility, and the depa.rtmental responsi­ I am going to compliment them on the part bility. I propose to deal with the last first, they have played, notwithstanding the dis­ namely, the departmental respoEsibility. Not­ abilities under which they have suffered. If withstanding the fact that quality problems I interpreted the Minister's remarks correctly in the cheese industry are increasing, we have I think he was critical of our primary pro- Supply. [17 OcTOBER.] Supply. 841 ducers. I am going to defend them. Not Transport is a major problem. In the only in the war years but in other times black-soil area the primary producer finds it they have done and are doing a splendid job. very difficult to get his products to the rail­ The Minister quoted from the Minister's head or market. In common with many others Book, as I call it, a publication of his own. experienced in local work, I believe that local I am not going to offer any criticism of that authorities have arrived at such a stage :finan­ book at this stage, but in the main it deals cially that they can no longer give effective with three different aspects of production: service in road construction. One has only fodder conservation, correct feeding, and to see how local-authority debts are mounting, herd-testiRg. We know they are all and I believe they will never be able to over­ important. Unfortunately there are some come them. The time is long overdue for a unpractical statements in the pages of those reviewing of the whole of the sources from books. I suggest that the object of all these which local authorities can obtain reYenue. things is being defeated by the loss of high­ 'l'here was a time when a good road could be production cows in the industry. constructed· for £400 or £500 a mile but today On the Darling Downs we are each year the cost is £4,000 a mile. ' experiencing a 20 per cent. loss of the highest lir. Aikens: And £ 8,000 a mile. producers because of preventable diseases. It is well known in the industry that it is always 1\Ir. liiciNTYRE: Yes, in some areas. A the best producers that are first affected. census will disclose that the traffic on such As a cow has developed a high production, so roads is not local, consequently land-holders her resistance to disease is decreased. More are being taxed to provide transport facilities research work must be done in Queensland for everybody. Local authQrities oon no than at present. Queensland is well behind longer carry on. We are not dissatisfied, as the other countries of the world in veterinary a local authority, with the assistance we are research. I suggest that hon. members read rPceiving in connection with gazetted roads, :• hook published by representatives of the it is the ungazetted road we cannot deal dairying industry, written by Mr. Sheehy with. The time is long overdue when a sub­ and :\h. Howey, who ,,.ere sent overseas to stantial sn bsidr from public funds should be study every phaRe of the dairying industry. made available for the construction of non­ In that publication they will find proof that gazetted roads in approved areas. (~ueensland is hopelessly behind in research work. This is very discouraging to our dairy­ Travelling to and from Brisbane I notice a men. scheme in progress for the duplication of the IUr. Aikens: Do you get any help from road from here to Ipswich. I do not object the C.S.I.R. ~ to that work but it is badly timed. We want length rather than width of road at the Jir. lUciNTYRE: We get some. Scien­ moment, and it is distressing for a producer tific research in the human medical field has after having produced a commodity fo; reached enormous dimensions, but in the field market, to find himself bogged a't the of veterinary science it is lagging. Cattle boundary of his property while money is being diseases in Queensland could; and should be expended in city areas on the duplication of successfully tackled and overcome. This is roads. I suggest that the road between here happening in other parts of the world. and Ipswich is capable in its present state Prevalent in our dairy herds and with con­ of carrying all the traffic it is likelv to be sequent loss to the industry is contagious required to take for the time being. I sug­ abortion. The treatment known as Strain 19 gest also that those who are responsible for is being practised by the Department of its duplication have a false sense of priority. Agriculture and Stock, but it is still in the Rather than carry out this work, they should experimental stage, although we hope great spend the money on more and better roads things will come out of it. Other major in country areas. diseases that take toll of our dairy herds are vaginitis and mastitis or mammitis. These I come now to rural education, to the one­ cause enormous losses, and the department teacher schools in particular. The one-teacher is not doing all that it might do in regard to schools have done and are doing a splendid them. It is the responsibility of the depart­ job but there is room for complaint about ment; the producers and the manufacturers their standard. Manv of them are not achiev­ have their own responsibilities. The producer ing the purpose for" which they were estab­ is doing the best he can, but the department lished and on going into the matter I hnve is not extending to him the help to which ascertained that the ·Department of Public Works is overloaded with work at the moment. he is entitled. As a. result, what do we :find~ A particularly fertile field for the go-getter, I suggest that the time is long oven'lu<> the exploiter and the peddler of cure-all and when the Department of Public Instruction preventive medicines. They ask and receive ~hould have a works section under its juris­ extortionate prices for anything that will rid diction for carrying out all works required a. her

Athol and in the Callide Valley and West ing that is going to take place, that these Moreton, and in fact throuahout the State. DTcas will be developed eventually, and pro­ 'l'here is one area that ha~ not had much duce wealth for the benefit of Queensland. consideration, to which I should like the ?overmnent to pay some attention, and that The grratest obstacle to this State's development· at present is shortage of man­ 1c the area between Mackay and Blair Athol called the Nebo or Walker Creek area. It po~wer and during the last few months indus­ 1~ known that it is coal-bearing and I believe tries have been cmtailed because of it. There that if tests were made in that area they has been restriction of output in the sugar "ould disclose that we have just as valuable industry in the far North; many of the mills assets there, Just as big seams of coal of just are not working full time. It might be asked: as good quality as in any other part of the what is the reason for t·his shortage! I will State. Although there is no rail connection endeavour to give my reasons for the acut·e I belieye that time itself will demand that shortage of workers in that industry. !his area shall have rail connection to help Although there is a shortage of labour in the in its development. Apart from the coal sugar industry now, it is only a matter of resomces in this area, it is, as many people time, and a very short time at that, when know, a valuable area, as far as minerals many of the industries that rely on unskilled timber and the pastoral industry is concerned: \vorkers will be short of man-power. Twenty It is recognised as on0 of the best fattening or 30 years ago it was the natural thing for dis.tricts in the whole of Qll\eensland. I a young man who was born and bred in the LeheYe that eventually a railway line will be sugar area to be absorbed into the sugar necessary for the future development of that h1dustry but today wit·h the gmdual, but area. necessary, improvement in educational facili­ ties, the raising of our standard of living, A very interesting statement has been made and the desire of parents that every oppor­ by the Secretary for Mines in connection with tunity be given to their children to improve th_e prospecting that is taking place in our their lot in life and obtain a bett·er occupa­ mmeral areas. We know the vast mineral tion, virtually all will wish to enter skilled resources that exist throughout the State in employment. The average parents are making the south-west, north-west and far north-west every endeavour to keep their children from areas. They have been some~what in the the \vood-and-water joey type of work, in doldrums over recent years but there is a other words, manual labour. Consequently, definite indication that the demand for minerals will create the need! for reopen­ many of the young people who in normal times ing many of the mining fields. Within would be absorbed in the sugar industry are going into trades and professions. This, with the area I haYe mentioned, bet-ween Mackay and Nebo, there are good mineral resources the slow increase in our population and the that should be investigated. Many years ago lack of migration, is the reason for the short­ !he Mount Britain Copper mine was age of labour in industry. one of the first worked in Queensland, but Recently I read a statement by Mr. Herbert l_:~cause of the lack of transport and the :Monison, the English statesman, in which he arstance from the railhead and port facilities complained of the shortage of workers in the this mine, together with others at Mount coal industTy of England. He pointed out Flora and Eungella, were only touched but that people would have to be educated to the nBver developed. fact that it was just as necessary to have men in the coalmining industry as in the medical, Mr. lllorris: Those areas were investi­ dental and other professions and consequently, gated. until greater inducement was ~held out• to young men to enter the coalmining industry, lUr. GRAHAlli: They were investigated and good reports were made as a result. the shortage of labour would continue. That I believe the Mount Britain and Mount Flora is the position developing in Queensland today. copperfields are among the best in Queensland Here we find we are having an acute shortage at the present time. The dH'ficulty is dis­ of unskilled workers-I will not say an over­ tance from the railhead and port facilities preponderance of skilled or professional and for this reason they have never bee~ workers-and a scarcity of men who will do developed. If they had been more accessible coal-mining, metalliferous mining and such and within short distance of a railway line work in the sugar industry as cane-cutting and they would be working profitably today. They field work. The time has arrived when some have shown by tests a high degree of copper attention must be given to that problem; the and silver-lead anCL there is no doubt that Government will have to take some definite in time these fields will be worked. It is action to step-up the number of men that can necessary for the development of Queensland be taken into these industries. At the present itself that consideration be given to the time there is a great demand for skilled working of these mines. It is tragic to think workers and an acute shortage of tradesmen in that such valuable assets are lying untouched. the various callings, such as carpenters, If they existed in other parts of the world plumbers and ot_her tradesmen classed as where thrre is greater population, they would artisans. Because of the demand by these other be quickly exploited. Not only in Mackay callings, industries such as mining and the pro­ and surrounCLing areas, but in other parts duction of sugar are suffering from a man­ of the State, such assets are lying dormant. power shortage. It is difficult to get men to It seems a travesty that we have these valu­ go into these industries, where working con­ able assets lying there without being worked. ditions are hard and where perhaps the rates I believe, from the investigations that are of pay are not as good as those enjoyed in being made at the present time and the test- classified positions in the larger centres. Supply. [17 OcTOBER.] Supy;ly. 845

Despite the encouraging reports about I want to say here and now that as a member immigration I am afraid that we are not of the Labom Government the proposal has going to have the flow of immigrants that my earnest support. I believe that it is a has been expected. I appreciate that man­ very progressive and desirable move, despite power clifiiculties in England an(l the countries what the Opposition may say about it. I of Emope are as great as those in Queensland, belieYe that its implementation can have only if not greater ancl I realise that a vast one effect, namely, to benefit the people amount of reconstruction has to be clone in of Austmlia. My only regret is that it has those countries compared with what is needed taken so long for the Government to put this in Queensland. I appreciate too, that although proposal into operation. Hon. membms of people must be allmyecl to migrate if they the Opposition may wonder why at this stage so desire, their O>vn sense of loyalty-and the Labour Party has decided to na tionarise this is certainly so in England-is keeping the banks, seeing that it has been on its them at home. This means that thousands platfmm for so many years. It is not sur­ who >vould have come to Australia under prising, however, to those who belong to the normal conditions are staying at home to movement, nor is it surprising to those who help their native land through its time of have watched the progrc>ss of the Labour <:risis. The time has come when a definite Party throughout the years. As T said, it effort will have to be made to overcome this has been one of the foremost planks of the shortage by mechanising industry, by pro­ Labour Party's platform, ancl I am not sm­ riding such things as mechanical harvesters prised that now the opportunity has presented in the sugar industry, for example. itself the party has taken advantage of it to put that plank into operation. Another thing that has kept men out of the sugar industry, on the milling side in The opportunity has been created because particular, is the fact that the sugar seasons this is virtually the first tinw since Feeler a­ arc getting shorter. The hon. mc>mber for tion that the Labom Party has had control of :Yiirani will bear me out when I sav that both houses in the Federal sphere. Had it 10 or 15 years ago the normal season was at any previous time desired to put forward from 15 to 20 ~weeks, whereas today, because such a Bill, it >vould have been tluown out by of the increased tonnage crushed by more the Senate. Now that the opportunity is efiicient mills, the seasons are rec1ucec1 to there, I am glad that the Govennncnt have from 12 to 14 weeks. This has meant that seized it with both hands and intend doing many men who worked in the sugar industry what the people of Australia want them to clo. previously have now taken more permanent employment. I know of three members of JUr. 3Iorris: They will not ~ive the people one family who were sugar workers but who, of Australia the opportumty of saying because of the difiiculty experienced in getting whether they want it or not. employment after the season had finished, took permanent positions, two as fettlers in ~Ir. GRAHAJU: I believe that Mr. the Railway Department ancl one in a store. Chifiey 's second-reading speech gave the In that case three men from the one family answer to every argument advanced by those left the industry, and I should say that that in opposition to the Bill. It covered the is happening in many other families through­ ground upon which every objection could out the North. be raised. His sound logic cannot be answered. His reply has silenced many who I noticed in the Press the other clay that prior to the introduction of the Bill have the returned soldiers' organisations proposed criticised the principle of the nationalisation seeking assistance from the Government to of banking. I have read his speech more develop the area round Cooktown for peanut­ than once, and I am sure that it covers every growing. That iS' an ambitious scheme, and argument raised in opposition to the pro­ I believe that the area north of Cairns offers posal. just as much scope for development as• tha't in and around Cairns, but here again, berause A statement was made by Abraham Lincoln of lack of rail communication that part of -it is not necessarY for me to tell hon. the State has lain dormant. members who that Ab;aham Lincoln was-that is worth repeating. He said- I believe that the proposal by the returned " Money is the creature of law anc1 the soldiers to undertake ancl encourage the creation of the original issue of money development of that area for peanut-growing should be maintained as an exclusive should receive the greatest possible help from monopoly of national government. the Government, because it would open up in those parts an industry that is already ''Government possessing the power to firmly established at Kingaroy. The opening create ancl issue currency and credit as up of the Cooktown area would afford great money ancl enjoying the. right to :withdr.aw scope for the further development of the both currency and crecl1t from cuculatwn industry. by taxation and otherwise, need not and should not borrow capital at interest as There are many other phases of the Gov­ the means of financing governmental work ernment's activities that one could speak of, an cl public enterprise.'' but as time is limited I want to aclcl my con­ tribution to the question that is agitating the ''The Government should create, issue, minds of the people of Queensland ancl Aus­ and circulate all the currency and credit tralia at the present time, namely, the neeclecl to satisfy the spending power Of proposal of the Commonwealth Government to the Government ancl the buying power of nationalise the private banking institutions. consumers. 846 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply

'' The privilege of creating and issuing before purchasers were able to pay the last money is not only the supreme prerogative instalment. Small traders were closed up of Government, but it is the Government's because of the withdrawal of overdrafts. greatest opportunity. Then there were the bank smashes of the ''By the adoption of these principles, '90s. the long-felt want for a uniform medium Having regard to that record, everyone will be satisfiecl. should agree that nationalisation of banking ''The taxpayers will be saved immense has been long overdue. Under the present sums in interest, discounts, and exchanges. economic system, money is the lifeblood, of ''The financing of all public enterprise, industq. the maintenance of stable government and It might also be noted that section 8 of onlered progress, and the conduct of the the CommoinYealth Bank Act of 1945 reads- Treasury will become matters of practical " r t shall be the duty of the Common­ administration. wealth Bank, within the limits of its powers, ''The people can, and will, be furnished to pursue a monetary and banking policy with a currency as safe as their own directed to the greatest advantage of the Government. J>eople of Australia, and to exercise its ''Money will cease to be the master and powers under this Act and the Banking become the servant of humanity. Art 19~5 in such a manner as will best ''Democracy will rise superior to the contribute to- money power.'' ( a) The stability of the currency of Of all that I have read I think that covers .~ ustralia; the entire field of what the nationalisation (b) The maintenance of full employ· of banking will mean to the people of ment in Australia; anci Australia. (c) 'l'he economic prosperity and wel­ It can be said that onl;· a minority of the fare of the people of Australia.'' people own and control the private· traJing As ,,.e all know, private banks were created banks. The report of the Royal Commission and still operate as institutions whose desire on Banking, submitted in 1937, showed that is to make profits. The Prime ::\1inister, in six private banks had 46,034 shareholders, his minority report as a member of the of whom 14,400 were overseas shareholders. Banking Commission of 193 7, said- That meant that only 45 of every 100,000 of the population in Australia were share­ '' The motive actuating those· who estab­ holders in the private banks. Of the 46,034 lish private banks is to make profit. Bank­ shareholders 34,068 held less than £500 each, ing differs from any other form of business 11,439 held between £500 and £5,000, and because any action, good or bad, by a only 527 held shares valued at £5,000 and banking system, affects every phase of our over, which amounted to only .0007 of the economic life. A banking system should population. These people are the minority ha vc one aim-service for the general good who control the private banks, yet they have of the community. The making of profit power over the vast sum of £817,000,000 by is not necessary to such a policy.'' virtue of their control of industry as directors It might be interesting if at this stage I of such large companies as B.H.P., The quote the report of the Prime Minister as C.S.R. Co., Goldsborough Mort, and other to the profits made by the private trading financial institutions. The ~whole set-up of banks during the period reviewed! by that the private banks leads to a dictatorship, hon. gentleman. He states- and until the Government have full and com­ '' Dming the period 1931-1935 the trad­ plete control of our monetary system we ing banks have not made unduly high shall see our economy carried on as we have profits: their total net income as deter­ seen it during the past century, with times mined by the Commonwealth Taxation Com­ of plenty and times of depression. It is to missione'r during that period was be noted that the private banks will not £14,150,000, representing an annual average come forward and give their assistance in of 7.58 per cent. on ,capital and 4.10 per times of depression so as to afford relief to cent. on shareholders' funds. Prior to that the many destitute people who are affected period, however--" because of the unemployment that has been created. It may be remembered that when This part of the statement is very interest­ the Bruce-Page Government went out of office ing- and Mr. Scullin became Prime Minister '' The trading banks as a whole made Australia was left with a legacy of 750,000 large profits. In the period 1893-1936-a unemployed. But the Tory nominees on the period of 43 years, including two major Commonwealth Bank Board and the private depressions, one minor depression, and a trading banks refused to make £18,000,000 war--" available for the purpose of starting repro­ That is, 1914-18- ductive and developmental works that would ,' The published figures show that they have brought relief and succour to the made a total profit of £106,548,000, being hundreds of thousands of undernourished an annual average of 10.27 per cent. on Australians. At that time the struggling paid capital and 6.28 per cent. on share­ farmers could not sell their produce to holders' funds. These figures do not include hungry people because of the shortage of amounts placed to inner reserves though money. Home-buyers lost their homes the use of these reserves contributed to the because repayment of loans was demanded profits. Supply. [17 OcTOBER.] Supply. 847

''Taking the published figures for the against nati~nali~ation, then one would per­ years 1910-1929-a period of 20 years­ haps be a lnt 'nth them because n·eryhodv tl~e average yearly profit was £3,480,000, likes to listen to a good argument, but whei1 w1th average yearly dividends of people talk against nationalisation in the £2,525,000.'' 'my the hon. member for \Vest Moreton did The report is there for everyone to read. they are only doing what we want them to 'l'ho~e figur0s cleaTly indicate that private do: in Teality, they are telling the people traclmg banks were established not so much the:;· have no case, that they have no sound to give service to the community as to extort argument to advance ag,1inst nationalisation. profits from the community. Yet hon. mem­ It is just what the FedeTal Government \Yant bers opposite say that private trading banks them to do-make these ridiculous statements, are not oppressive. in other words make damn fools of themsehvs I believe, as stated by the Prime Minister in trying to convince the people that the !hat th~ funet~on of a banking institutior: 11ntionalisation of banking is going to do all 1s to gn·e sernce to the people and no-one those things they say it 'vill do. We shall can deny that the Commonweatlh Bank has sec the nationalisation of banking put into done so since 1911. That statement is verified effect ancl I venture to pTophesy that by the fact that at the present time 3 800 000 eYentually all members of the Opposition will .prop le, out of Australia's population' of sec the benetit~ derived from the control by ',000,000, are depositors in the Commonwealth the Commonwealth Go,-ernmcnt of the banking Bank. institutions. In the private tTading banks-­ TheTe is another matter to touch on with Tegard to the tactics of the opponents of the lUr. Rerr interjected. nationalisation of banking and that is their endeaYour to divide the people who support lUr. GRARA!l~: It is not compulsory at all. In the Sanngs Bank ,,-e have 3 800 000 the nationalisation of banking by means of depositm·s and in the six trading b~nks' we the influence of the church. It is a very con­ tentious and touchy subject. As one who have 1,~50,000 of the 7,000,000 people. Those figures m themselves pTove that the Common­ has the highest regard for all Teligious insti­ ·wealth Bank is the people's bank; they show tutions and who is very loyal to his own tha~ the gr0atest number of people makP use religious beliefs and gives credit to those who of 1t. \Ve are aware that the Commonwealth express theirs, I belim·e that what has been Bank, in competing with the pTiYate trading clone on this occasion is quite in keeping with banks, has to make a pTofit the same as the tactics of t-he advocates of a capitalistic everyone else; but there is this about it­ system. This method has been tried many and it is one thing the opponents of the times before but has failed. It is not the nationalisation of banks cannot get away from fiTst occasion that the opponents of Labour -the pTofits of the bank go back to the or of Socialism have tried to divide the worker coffers of the GoYernment and the whole by means of religious argument. History 7,000,000 people benefit by that pTofit whereas records t·hat the capitalist system has always the profits of the trading banks go' back to called on the church in a time of crisis, and the pockets of the few, and in many instances this is just another instance of that. overseas. It should be apparent that the Today we find that the opponents of Socialism nationalisation of banking is going to affect and of the Labour Party, the supporters of only a very low percentage of the people. capitalism, are tTying to draw t-he church To get down to tintacks, whom will the round them to give them protection. We find nationalisation of banking affect most~ Only them encouraging the church to make public the shareholders in the private banks. It will statements with a view to dividing the worke'rs not affect the general public or the average on the nationalisation of banking. Every everyday man who has a savings-bank account. supporter of t-he Labour movement, every man Only one man in a hundred has occasion to with Socialism in his heart and who expects get money through the banks for business to live to see the day when the woTker will OT investment. On general principles the only be lifted to the plane in life on which he people who will be affected by the nationalisa­ desires him to be, will not be fooled by such tion of banking are the people who really do arguments. These men will never be divided not matter. Because they have had shares on the question of religion, as the policy of in these institutions they have, over a period the Australian Labour Party has been of years, been at an advantage compared developed by men of all creeds. We find with their fellows. people of all creeds within t-he Labour move­ ment, where no question is raised whether a The nationalisation of banking is not going worker is a Roman Catholic, a Protestant, a to impede progress or restrict investment or Calathumpian, or a: Mohammedan. interfere with the Tights of the individual. The statement made by the hon. member for The opponents of Labour today are trying \Vest Moreton yesterday that there was a to incite the people, in fact they are tTying desire to filch away the rights and the money to bring about open rebellion by their agita­ of the individual is a perfectly ridiculous tion on nationalisat-ion of banking but it will one. No constitution would allow interference get them nowhere. The Labour movement with the rights of the individual or his private will go on; the nationalisation of banking is savings-bank account. The making of such only one of the planks of the Labour plat­ Tidiculous statements is convincing evidence form that in tin1e will be implemented. We that there is nothing in their case against who subscribe to the Labour platform will nationalisation. If they could make a ease not be behind hand in the carrying out of 848 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

the policy of the socialisation of industry, Government .departments did not propose distribution and exchange. That is our ambi­ to buy the wax directly and they gave no help tion. If the Labour Party will tali:e courage other than permitting the venture to start and and continue to go ahead as it is going ahead, buying the materials required. it cannot fail and the people will be so much A company called the Queensland Wax better off. If instead of only nibbling, as Company, with 7,250 shares, was formed in we have done ovEr the past 40 years, we ~ambour in 1943. Mr. Fred Gilmore was should make one bite and put the Labour plat­ appointed manager and Nambour was selected form into operation. because that district proved most suitable, An Opposition ll'Iember: You will be it having canes of a much higher wax content getting into trouble. than others. But this is something in which we should all take an interest, because JUr. GRAHAll'I: It is in the platform of eventually I shall be able to prove that this the Party and will take effect as opportunity new industry can be worth in the vicinity of offers. I and every other Labour member £1,000,000 to Queensland. ;1nd supporter in this Committee will live to see the day when the full platform of the The wax is on the rind of the cane and Australian Labour Party is put into opera­ the canes known as C.O. 290 and Q. 28 are tion and if in that process we have to rast the best wax-producers. I have samples here aside, as we shall have to do, all those of the for the information of !Ion. members, from capitalist class, the supporters of Big Busi­ which they will see that the wax is on the ;ness· who want to control and crucify the rind of the cane. After the cane is milled, worker, we will cast thEm aside, just the that wax remains embedded in the filter-press. same as they would cast us aside and as they I have gone into this matter with the experts, did cast us aside in the days of the depres­ and it is estimated that for every 90 tons of sion when they did not care >Yhether the cane crushed one ton of wax is left in the >vorker and his wife and children starved and filter-press mud. This wet filter-press mud is died. In the days of the depres·sion the worker stacked in heaps and dries itself out at a and his family were thrown on the breadline temperature of about 190 degrees. and the private banks, with their £813,000,000, J have with me some filter-press mud, which did not come forward and offer to the authori­ is now dry, but it was wet when it came off ties even £50,000,000 or £60,000,000 to put the rollers. people back on the breadline. After coming from the rollers, tlv; wet J 1' we have to do these things, then we will filter-press mud is composed of 60 per cent. do them. I make no apologies for saying water, 10 per cent. wax, and 30 per cent. what I have said today. As a supporter of lime, dirt, roots, sugar, &c. ~he Labour. Party, I believe that by the The filter-press mud dries down to 15 per 1mplementat10n of Labour's platform we shall cent. moisture before it can be sent to the reach that millennium to which every Labour extraction plant. Then this dried mud is supporter in Queensland is looking forward, ground into a fine powder and taken to the and I say, ''May we hasten the day.'' extraction house. The powder is placed in a vat on top of a filter and hot solvent that lUr. LOW (Cooroora) (3.1 p.m.): It gives me great pleasure to be able to say a few will dissolve the wax is pumped through the words to you, Mr. Mann, to the Government, mud and filter. The wax is then carried in to hon. members of this Assembly, and the a soluble form into another vessel. The people of Queensland, about a new industry solvent must then be removed from the mud that has great potentialities. I refer to the and wax by steam distillation. The filter extraction of wax from sugar-cane, and I is made of coconut-fibre matting and a sheet shall go into the matter thoroughly so that of calico. The extracted mud makes its wav those hon. members who represent sugar areas from the first vessel down a chute into trucks, will be able to take back to their electorates to be carried out to the farms for use as in detail the procedure that may be adopted a fertiliser valuable to the farmer. to establish cane-wax factories in their areas. The crude wax, as it is then-and I have Early in 1943 the shortage of wa·xes a sample here to demonstrate to hon. mem­ became so acute that many manufacturing bers-is worth in the vicinity of £200 a ton. activities were curtailed and some closed down. In considering this new industry we must Wax being almost :vholly imported, Govern­ ask ourselves: is there a ready sale for the ment departments mterested themselves in wax and what help is it likely to be to the developing local supplies. Amongst other sugar industry~ I should now like to read endeavours, a man was sent into the sugar a letter from the Abril Corporation (Great f1istricts to get mills to work on the cane-wax. Britain) Ltd., whose head offices are at 25 Those hon. members who represent northern Hanover Square, London, to the Australian areas will probably know Mr. Fred Gilmore, Sugar -Producers' Association Ltd., dated who has already done a considerable amount 3 January, 1947. That letter reads- of work in this direction and has acquired '' With regard to your letter of the 23 vast knowledge of the process involved. He December on the subject of Cane Wax. made a survey of the suitabilitv of the wax ''We have now been in touch with our and an estimate of its value. Some estimates technical experts and can give you more place a value of 3s. 6d. a lb. on crude wax. information thereon. This wax was produced and used and did ''As you are already aware, we received contribute to the manufacture of some items samples of three grades from the Queens­ notably teleprinter ribbons, which were badly land Wax Company some little time back. needed. viz., crude, bleached, and refined. · Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 849

'' \Ve have carriec1 out certain tests on call refined wax from sugar-cane and it is these samples and find that provided the worth £300 a ton. It is used extensively for price at which we can buy the material is teleprinter ribbons and carbon pape1. an economic one, we ran absorb anything up to 1,000 tons per annum, as we can pro­ The next process is the bleaching process. cess this material to produce waxes which The refined wax is broken up, placed in a vat would have unique properties. and melted with sulphuric acid and potassium chloride. Thel'e are rubber hoses at the bot­ ''Below are the answers to the questions tom of the vat, The wax is boiled for 30 required- minutes. The wax rises and the acid and '' 1. vVe can take either crude or water are run off. The wax is washed in refined, but if crude is offered we would clean water six times and boiled for ten like information regarding your method minutes on each occasion. After this process of purification so that we can carry out the wax is of a cholocate colour and is known similar processes in this countrY and ns bleached wax. It is used for boot polish later improve thereon. In that case, the of all colours, car pastes Hll(l cream, floor moisture content should not be higher pastes and cream, liquid polishes, bowls than 6 per cent. polish and furniture polishes and pastes. I ''If the refined product is offered, the am happy to say that the company hns a purity, as samples sent to us by the ready market for this wax, which is in great Queensland Wax Company would be demand. It cannot fill the OTders it has accepted as standard. received for the bleached product. '' 2. As indicated earlier, the amount lUr. l\Iorris: Where is it manufactured we could absorb would be 1,000 tons now? per annum. '' 3. The economic price at which we }fr. LOW: It is manufactured at Nam­ could process the material, if the crude llom. The nl-erage total yield of sugar-cane material was offered to us, would be at in Queensland is 4,8cl5,794 tons, aeeording to not more than £200 per ton, c.o. b. pnge 6 of the 46th mmunl report of the Brisbane, and £230 per ton f.o.b. Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations. From Brisbane, for the refined material. this quantity of enne at least 3,240 tons of '' 4. The market would be a permanent cane wax could be extracted, Yalncd at one as it would not be dependent upon £648,000. In addition there would be 800 the world prices of other hard waxes. tons of fat and further experiments are pro­ ceeding with it. That is a remarkable thing­ ''With the information now before you thnt you can get fat out of this cane wax. perha;ps. you can approach members of your I have in my hand a sample of it and, as I associatiOn to see whether it would be an said, further experiments are proceeding. economic proposition for them to recover the . wax f~om the sugar millers, by pro­ At the present time the Queensland Wax cessmg their factory muds, and advise us Company cannot· purchase the required cor­ in due course.'' rugated iron, fibro and other building material to extend its plant and I appeal to the Gov­ The_ crude wax consists of 10 per cent. ernment to give this new industry every ash, 2o per cent. fat, and 65 per cent. wax. encouragement and assistance. I suggest that 1'he next process is to remove the ash and extraction plants be established at all mills the fat from the wax. The wax is broken in Queensland for the purpose of treating up a.nd ~laced in a vat containing hydro­ the filter-press mud and railing the crude chlonc ae1d and water in the proportion of wax to Nambour for blending so as to get ~ gal~ons of acid to 200 gallons of water. It a standard product for export .or for refining. IS boiled for one hour. The wax floats and The reason why I suggest that it should be the acid and water are run off. The wax r1ispatched to N ambour is that the present is boiled in clean water five times for 10 company has patent rights over certain minutes on each occasion to get the acid out machines there. It should be possible to of the wax. The IYax is then run into moulds establish an extraction plant at every mill of and left to cool. coursr and the crude wax obtained at these The dTied wax is then ground up into mills would be worth in the vicinity of £200 powder to be de-fatted-I have a de-fatted a ton. ~am~le here-and the next process is to de-fat The crude >vax would be dispatched to It: rhe powdered wax is placed in a wax vessel X ambo uT for treatment. The mud that comes With cold alcohol-1 00 per cent. alcohol from from the filter-press and is used as fertiliser, Sarina,. wh~ch also is a cane product. The would of course be absorbed in the district proportwn rs 300 gallons of alcohol to 600 lb. whel'e it was produced. On one occasion it of wax. It is stirred for 20 minutes and was decided, however, to consign some of this allowed to settle. This Yessel in >Yhich that is mud from MaryboTough to Nambour and the, done was patented by ::\Ir. F. Gilmore. The RaihYay Department quoted a specially alcohol dissolves the fat and the fat is pumped reduced rate of freight but when the mud is from the wax pot to the fat pots by steam used as a fertiliser it would not be profitable pumps. The alcohol is vaporised and con­ to rail it, especially as it would reprE'sent a­ densed back to liquid form. The IYax receives loss in fertiliser to the area whence it was six washes in alcohol. The wax, being de­ drawn. ashed and de-fatted, is black in colour on As far as I am aware at present there are account of its being a product of burnt cane. no patent rights over the' process of recovering The sample I now exhibit is what you would crude canf> wax, but certain patents are held 850 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. over certain refining processes. The recoYery I feel that I have done my duty in bring­ of crude wax is a simple technical process in­ ing this matter before the Committee and I vohing the drying of muds-which takes place hope it will get the due publicity it deserves. without artificial aids-followed by extraction If any member of the Government cares to of the ,,-ax with a solvent. Costs are mainly make any further inquiries or make a trip to influenced by the amount of wax present in :i'\ ambom I shall be pleased to accompany him the muds, and efficiency in recovering the and sho'v him the whole box and dice. I have solvent used is also an important factor. the samples here; the process is no secret. As you will realise, the plant required is If we develop new industries it will make simple and comparatively cheap. It con­ Queensland a much better State and the result sists of a boiler, a disintcgrator (in the case will benefit us all. I have no shares in the oi fi!ter-p1:ess cake), extraction vessels, sol­ ventme, but I am keenly interested in it and vent conta111er and heater, and condensers. I feel it is my responsibility to advocate it, seeing t·hat the company concerned is the only llir. Aikens: Is the mill at Nambour a one of its kind in Queensland and it is private or co-operative one? established in my electorate. ::ur. LOW: It is a proprietary mill. About I now wish to deal with the decentralisa­ seven persons are interested in it. tion of industry and population as the ques­ tion is linked with railways. I believe that I appeal t9 hon. members to take this information back to their own electorates as it will be impossible to decentralise industry it will be a great asset to Queensland. The and population without some reclassification polishing problems of this country can be or readjurttment of -r,ailway !freights and handled 'vith sugar-cane wax as well as and charges. The present freights and charges as cheaply as the Ca.rnauba wax from Brazil. as based, gives advantage to the big cities and towns, which receive great benefits ~Ir. lliorris: You cannot get that in Aus­ to the detriment of the country areas. tralia Iiow. A Government J'IIember: Brisbane does lir. LOW: That is so. That is one of not need a railway. the reasons why we should devote more atten­ tion to this process. JUr. LOW: It would be a poor state of affairs if we ever did away with the railways; JUr. Aikens: Just what do they use this that is my opinion. wax for' On page 4 of the Railway Goods and Live­ ~Ir. LOW: For all kinds of polishing. stock classification the following appears- Today further tests are being made at the '' For the purpose of computing the Moreton mill. It has been discovered that special rates in force for certain articles the fats to be recovered would amount to sent to and from ports, the following places 800 tons each year. Further experiments are shall be regarded as ports :-Brisbane, being made at that mill by the chief chemist Maryborough, Urangan, Bundaberg, North there, and these sho'" that the fats I have Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton sho,vn hon. members in a bottle contained 30 (including Glenmore Junction), North Rock­ per cent. of wax. Ways and means have hampton, Gavial Creek, Port Alma, Mackay, been found, consistent with the use of various Bow en, Townsville, South Townsville, West solvents, to extract it. From that compound 'rownsville, Innisfail, Cairns, Cooktown, I displayed have been extracted also uleic N ormanton, W allangarra, and Border acid, palmetic acid carotene, and high-class Tunnel.'' residual fats. ' I do not know what port is serving Wallan­ garra. I estimate that if this industry is explored :properly and has the su:p:port of the Govern­ Another significant fact is Ipswich will be ment, as it should-seeing that they control regarded as a port for traffic from stations the cane industry-it will be worth in wax west thereof. It seems to me there must be and fats £1,000,000 a year to Queensland. a general revision in connection with those '['hat is a very conservative estimate. I am port rates and regarding rates and freights making this appeal to hon. members because to outside areas in order to properly assist I recognise that they are the persons who secondary industries in the country. should take this information back to their electors. The classification continues- '' The pOTt of Brisbane shall be taken to J'IIr. Aikens: Have any sugar organisa­ include only the following stations :-Roma tions dealt with this~ Street, Exhibition, Brunswick Street, Whin­ stanes, Pinkenba, Clapham, South Brisbane J'IIr. LOW: Yes, but at the same time the interest has not been taken in it that and Woolloongabba. should have been taken. ''In computing the rates for goods to stations other than ports the through mile­ iUr. Aikens: To what do you attribute age rates will be charged unless it is cheaper the apathy~ to charge the relevant rate to the port, plus the relevant rate forward or back to destina­ J'IIr. LOW: Up to the l)resent it has been tion as the case may be.'' in the experimental stage, but today we have discovered the real value of the industry. This I should like to bring before the Committee is the only year in which it has been made an instance to show how this rate works out profitable. as far as establishing secondary industries in Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 851 the. country is concerned. The classification snrplns of rcYenue over expenditure of is loaded in favour of large cities and towns £GII!l,0(1'1, but with interest of £1,454,899 established at ports. An instance I know ndded to the capital of £42,703,216, the work­ something about is the freight on timber from ing of the railways shows a loss of £845,8\15. the l'\ orth to factories in N ambour for the purpose of manufacturing joinery and funli­ }Jr. f'ollins: There is an easy way of freight~. If ture. On oak from the North to N am hour so!Ying thnt-put up the your the rail transport of 3,000 super feet ( 6 tons) argument is that the railways should not lose from Cairns to Brisbane, 1,041 miles at mone;·, that can be easily rectified. The rates for rrgricultural goods are the lowest-- 10s. Gd. a hundred super feet amounts to £15 15s. A similar consignment of 3,000 ::IJr. LOW: There should be some con­ ~nper feet of oak from Cairns to Nambour, sideration of that. The present system does 976 miles, 65 miles shorter in distance, would not always >YOrk out in the best interests of be charged as follows- the State. 3,000 super feet Cairns to Brisbane (j1: 1 Os. rid. per Promotion in the railway should be based 100 super feet . . £15 15s. on merit mther than seniority and that sug· gestion, too, is deserving of fu~l investiga­ Plus distance Brisbane to tion. The present system is causmg so much N ambour 6 ton ((U "A" dissatisfnction amongst employees as to class plus 15%-19s. per. ;jnstify nn inYestigation. ton £5 14s. The truck does not go any further than Nam­ I notice from the estimates that £2,000 is hour on the forward journe;· but this firm pro\·ided for a new station at Rockhampton must pay £,) 14s. more tlwn the people nt and £2 000 for a new station at Cairns. Brisbane. Tt is impossibk to establish these The GdvernmEnt nre to be commended for secondarv industries in the countrv when their artion there but I do wish they \Yould railway 'fn:>ight is Ioadec1 ngainst them ns recognise that a new railway stntion for compared with the cities. Xamhour is long overdue. The Commissioner has the right to quote n )fr. Power: You are orr the old parish ~pecial rate because Clause 59 provides that pump now. in exceptional cases he may for the purpose of promoting traffic in any particular class of )fr. J,(HY: l'\o. This is progress and goods or encouraging any local industry, make clcYelopment. and I congratulnte th_ Govern· a special reduction in any rate for the car­ ment on at least starting to build two new riage thereof from one station to nny other stations hut I appeal to them to give some station. That is the power the Commissioner consideration to the establishment of a new could exercise, and he already has the power one at Nambour. The Na'mbonr district is to grant these special rntes to establish a. fine tourist area. Its industries are sugar, secondary industries in the country. dairying, fruit, ginger, and timber. The total re\·enuc from passenger traffic last year JUr. Collins: Do you suggest that the \nlS £11,020 for 45,245 journeys. This does port rates should be cut out? not include passengers who travelled on free ]>asses such as politicia\1s', &e., all lines season ~Ir. LOW: No, but they should be ticket 'holders or school children. The parcels ndjusted. The Government should at least traffic returned a revenue of £647, whereas take into consideration the fact that if a the outward goods traffic handled amounted truckload of material falls short of its port to 16,899 tons for a revenue of £17,360, \vhile of destination, there is no good reason why the inward traffic handled amounted to 11,934 that consignment shouicl be penalised by the to11s for a revenue of £16,495. The total charging of freight from that point to the freights l1nndled in that particular year port of destination. amounted to 28,833 tons for a t.otal revenue ~Ir. Collins: That cuts out the port rate. of £45 522. I emphasise that this is for one year alone, proving that Nambour is a pro~t­ ~Ir. JJOW: No, in those circumstances, able station and the Government should g1ve if the consignment falls short of the port, no consideration to the erection of a new rail­ further charge to the port should be made. \Va y station there. That is how I see it. ::IIr. Power: We are going to build I\Ir. Collins: In that case you do not hons~s, not sta'tions. haye a port rate at allf }Jr. LOW: The Minister has been crying lUr. LOW: Yes, leave the port rate in, ont for a long time now that he wns going hut at the same time do not penalise by to do so. I wish he would give it away and charging the freight back to destination. get on with the job. The Consolidated ReYenue Fund for 19-+6-47 )Ir. Collins: There is nothing to prevent shows a surplus of £15,856. I have heard hon. membns of Parliament from paying their members congratulate the 'l'reasurer on that own fares, you know. surplus, but I do not think I can go as far as that. The hon. gentleman is a very astute Mr. LOW: I realise that, and if I thought gentleman and, knowing something about I was not earning my salary I would. 'rhe c:Ieri0al work, I should' say that he hns ::\Iinister has a s;ympathetic feeling in his juggled with these things until eventually he heart for the district, I know. He has been has a good picture that he can show to the there he knows its potentia1ities, and I nm public. In 1946-47 the railways showed a sure 'that feeling will continue to grow. 852 Supply. ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

There has been an increase in the passen­ Jir. Gair: A freer system of transfer ger traffic and goods traffic from this station. to give them general experience~ There is In 1942 there were 28,626 journeys for a good deal of merit in it. £8,760. In 1943 there were 36,082 journeys for £11,401. In 1944 there were 40,412 }Jr. LOW: That is what I am driving at. joumeys for £11,045 and in 1945 there were "\Yhcn men who have been trained in the 45,245 journeys for £11,020. 'The passenger city office go to the country they show that traffic is on the increase, anu the slight reduc­ they haYe missed much in their early train­ tion in ·revenue for the years 1944-45 is due ing. I agree with transfer from place to to the reduction in fares· that took place at place \Yhilst they are juniors, if their stations that time. are within a reasonable radius of their homes. Another thing to which I should like to The department should also give considera­ draw the attention of the Committee is the tion to the provision of cottages for its fact that the local-authority valuation of the employees. Today \Ye find many of the :\faroochy Shire is £685,000. officers of the department scattered all over the place, with their wives living in the Again, the Railway Department would be North and the men working in tlw South, well advised to have its own fleet of motor and vice versa. I know that this is wrapped trucks at the principal stations in the State up in the housing problem, but I suggest to receive and deliver goods. This is where that at the :first available opportunity some motor transport is giving better service than action be taken to build cottages for the railways. It takes the goods from the permanent men. warehouse or shop direct to the shop or household in the town area, and the freight }Ir. Power: The difficulty today is in is much, cheaper tha'n freight on the railways shortage of man-power anu materials. There and cartage at both ends. is no shortage of money. I appeal to the Government to give this JUr. LOW: I agree, but when you speak aspect of the transport problem early con­ of the shortage of man-power, the passing sideration, because I think it wise to over­ of the 40-hour week legislation will make the come the competition that is taking place. position more acute. Furthermore, I suggest that the oppor­ JUr. Power: No, and I will tell you why. tunity of buying return tickets between any The men in the building trade are working two places on any day of the week, now only 40 hours a week now. applying to the city areas only, be extenued to the country areas. There is no reason JUr. LOW: But they are not the only whatever why the practice should not be workers in the State. Many in the timber brought into operation, as it would be trade will be-affected. beneficial to all concerned. Speaking of the duplication of the track I am sorry that the Minister for Trans­ between Caboolture and Gympie, I would port is not present, as I am firmly of the say that I had the privilege of attending a opinion that there is no need whatever for meeting of the residents of the Brooloo area, the establishment of a general manager's who advocate the building of a line between office in Brisbane. It is a duplication of Brooloo and W oodford to make the double work performed in the Commissioner's office. track available. Parliament has approved of It is generally known amongst the workers the construction of a line between Brooloo that correspondence sent to the general and Kenilworth, a distance of approximately manager's office is on nearly every occasion 10 miles, but the line was never built and referred to the Commissioner's office only I do not know why. a couple of streets away. It would divert a great deal of traffic from the North Coast line, and if it was possible to Mr. Gair: That is not correct. build a line between Brooloo and W oodford, :1\lr. LOW: In the majority of cases the a distance of about 40 miles, it would open only need for the general manager's office up a vast area of rural land and take in is as a train department and a telegraph such places as Kenilworth, Maleny and Canon­ department. The rest of the matters dealt dale. with could be handled from the Commis­ Another matter I desire to mention will, sioner's office. The services of many I am sure, interest the Treasurer very much. employees could be ultilised-- It will have to be considered seriously before very long. The present practice of the Rail­ :1\Ir. Gair: You advocate retrenchment? way Department of calling tenders for packing l'llr. LOW: No, just transfer and doing and carting of furniture and effects of State away with duplication. I think the Minister public officials on transfer should be discon­ will agree that there is no use in continuing tinued forthwith, on account of the outrageous a system if it means duplication. We want charges being paid to carriers for this work. to get the best out of all concerned. Por instance, in February of this year a clerk of petty sessions at N ambour was trans­ I should like to urge also that juniors, ferred to Kingaroy and the Railway Depart­ on being taken into the department, be ment accepted a tender from a local carrier trained in outside stations instead of in for £20 for the packing of this furniture and Brisbane. It would make for better railway carting it to the railway, a distance of about men and make their experience more valuable half-a-mile. The weight was 2 tons 17 cwt. and varied. and the rail freight was £19 9s. 9d. and Supply. [17 OcTOBER.] Supply. 853 the delivery at Kingaroy cost £5. This cost them but for the purpose of having the the Department of Justice approximately £45 present ',,vstem of calling tenders by .the Rail­ for the shifting of furniture alone. I could way Department stopped as qmckly as give three other examples. It amounts to a possible. wilful waste of public money and some con­ If it is necessarv that these employees sideration >Yill have to be given to a proposal should receive some· allowance for this pur­ that the employees themselves be allowed to pose, the GoYermnent should offer the pack their o>nl furniture. The charges made employee a fixed amount for packing his today by the carriers are absolutely out­ furniture and pay the cost of its traYisport to l·ageotJS and it is just like pouring ~water the station. That would be very acceptable down a drain. to the employees and preferable to the present policy. liir. Brown: A Nambour carrier? JUr. Brown: Any number of them are not JUr. LOlV: I am not mentioning any capable of packing their own furniture. names. JUr. LOW: If not they would discover The practice is State-wide and my proposal the fact when tlw furniture got to its destina­ is worthy of consideration. In February, tion and they would pack it only once. This 1946, an officer of the Department of Public idea of calling tenders for the work and Instruction named Mr. S. Garrctt was trans­ accepting one of them irrespective of the ferred from Nambour to Brisbane and• the amount, just to get the job done, is not in packing and carting of his fnrniture to the the best interests of the State or the Trea· railway station cost £15. In June, 1946, surer. I should like the hon. gentleman to go another officer of the Department of Public into the matter to see how much this work InstTuction, Mr. B. Bruce, was transferred costs the Government. He should take into from Palmwoods to Wynnum and the packing consideration also that this concession is not and carting of his furniture to the station extended to railway men on transfer. If it cost £15 10s. Those charges are ''over the is given to other branches of the service it fence.'' Not so long back it would have should be extended to railway men as well. been possible to have this work done for, say, All they get on transfer at present is the 50s. cost of transporting their furniture to the Early in June of this year an officer of the station. Department of Public Instruction, Mr. IV. R. Another matter I wish to deal with is the 'Nilkinson, was transfened from Palmwoods suggested superannuation scheme for railway to Rockhampton and the packing and carting employees. The Governor's Speech delivered of his furniture to the station cost £31 and on 14 August, 1945, contained this passage- the carting of it from the Rockhampton '' Investigations have been made of the station to its destination cost only £2 10s. possibiltity of establishing a superannuation This practice is in operation throughout the scheme acceptable to the employees of the State and it must be a big drain on the Queensland Government Railways and it is finances of the Government. Bear in mind expected that the results of the investiga- that this concession is not extended to rail­ , tion will be placed before representatives of way men on transfer-they lmve to pack the railway unions at an early date.'' their own furniture. All these employees are The hon. member for West Moreton, on the one State payroll, so why the differ­ apparently being impatient, on 7 August, ence~ It is up to the Premier and the Trea­ 1946, asked the Minister for Transport the surer to go into the question of calling tenders following question:- by the Railway Department for the packing ''What is the present position in regard and cartage of furniture of public servants to the railway superannuation scheme on transfer. I have personally handled some •referred to in the opening speech of the of this stuff and on occasions I have said, last session W' ' when the tenders came in, ''This will not be accepted.'' But like a flash out of the dark­ The answer given was- ness it is accepted. No consideration seems '' Details of the scheme are being finalised to be given to the cost; it is only a matter preparatory to taking a ballot of employees of haYing the job done. as to whether they desire the introduction of the scheme." Mr. Larcombe: What remedy do you On 6 November the hon. member for West suggest~ Moreton again asked the Minister for Trans­ port- lUr. LOW: I suggest that the department should say to the employee, ''You can pack '' When is it proposed to take a ballot your own furniture if you like.'' I think it amongst the employees of the Railway will be agreed that a charge of £31 is far Department to ascertain their wishes on too much for packing and carting furniture the subject of superannuation.'' only a short distance to the railway station. The answer was- '' No da'te can be given.'' ~Ir. Brown: It has to be packed. I can remember that in the 1944 election ~Ir. LOW: And the hon. member ought the Government promised the railway men to see how some of it is packed, too, especi­ a superannuation scheme. Let us hark back ally at the present time, when it is difficult to the time when the Hon. F. A. Cooper was to get hessian and other packing material. Premier. This is what the Acting Premier I bring this matter under the notice of the of the day, the present Premier, had to say Government, not with the i

' '£1m. Rail Pensions Proposal. it any wonder that we are disgusted J \Ve ''A contributory superannuation scheme were giYen a firm promise of an increase for railway men, which will cost £1m. to in December, 1943, but what is the value establish, is proposed by the State Govern­ of a Premier's promise¥'' ment. That is the position. Again, I should like ''Two schemes have been formulated, one to appeal to the Government to gi\·e some by the Director of the Bureau of Industry consideration at an early date to thP question and State Statistician (Mr. Colin Clark) and the other by the actuary of the State of superannuation for railway employees, Government Insurance Office. because in doing so it would be only honour­ ing a promise given some years ago. It does '''I' hey were discussed at a conference not matter whether it is a good scheme or a which the Acting Premier (Mr. Hanlon) bad scheme; the men have the right to decide had with representatives of the Combined the issue. Railway Unions yesterday_ Next step will be for the unions to submit the scheme to One of the most disturbing f <"n tm es of their members for approval or otherwise. the budgetary position is the downwan1 trend "Mr; Hanlon explained that the super­ in the Railway Department. Now that Com­ annuation benefits would be in addition to monwealth military traffic has vhtually dis­ long service and retiring allowances. appeared, the position has reversed from a ''He said that the superannuation scheme net credit for the peak year Hl42-43 to Con­ \Yas in p_nrsuance of a promis, made by solidated Revenue of £4,335,7 46 aftt>T pa:ving the Premier (:VIr. Cooper) to railway men intert>st to a net deficit for 1946-4 7 of th3:t portion of the profits made by the £845,895. This leaves out of aceonnt interest Ra1lway Department over the war period on the £28,000,000, which has be!.'n writt!.'n off would be returned to employees in the the railway capital indebtedness, amounting· form of superannuation.'' to approximately £1,000,000 per annum. The Can anyone show me whOTe in that Budget £1m. real charge of the Railway Dcpartnwnt on ;Yas ~et aside for this pension scheme W Where Consolidated Revenue for 1946-4 7 1vas, thne­ 1s th1s scheme for this large body of railway fore, about £1,845,000. ;nen who ,have d~ne such an excellent job Let us look at the Budget nQ'ain. I haYe m the war? Tha~ IS clearly a broken promise. Some consideratiOn should be given to this looked through the Budget kt>enly am1 I 1vant proposal immediately. to know where any provision is made in it for the amount that should haw been paid . lUr. Aikens: We do not want a scheme to railway men for the leave whieh is due hke the last one. to them. If that leave had been taken out when it accrued, the railways would lJaye licen :;lir. LOW: It does not matter as long behind at least £3,000,000, taking into con­ as the Government submit a sche;,Ie to the sideration the deficit as it was and the men and they endorse it. A railway man after interest on the £28,000,000. 50 years' service should not on retirement see noth~ng but the age pension ahead. Tak~ This is how I have worked it out: the pay the Pohce Superannuation Fund. It has due to the men that has accrued owr the 1,6?5 subscribers, the contributions by the last six or seven years would amount to pohce amount to £36,804, and the contribution £750,000; the expenses of relieving those men by the Government to £67,100. That is what -if sufficient men had been aYailable­ I call a generous scheme_ The Government would have been in the vicinity of £3?5,000; ;nust be complimented on it. Why not extend so that the total cost over the period up to 30 It to the other employees of the S'tate Govern­ June, 1947, if a man was availab1e to relieve ment~ every one of those men would be £1,0715,000. I At 3.50 p.m., hope the Treasurer, when he is replying to the various speeches and charges levelled at l\~r. DL!NSTAN (Gympie) relieved the the Budget, will give me some indication as to ChaHman m the chair. where that amount of money is taken into account. lU~. LOW: Let us look at the Public Service Superannuation Fund_ The 10 000 Fmthermore, the Government made applirn­ subscribers in 1945-46 subscribed £126 481 'and tion to the court for authority to pay the the net Government contribution wa~ £1 669 amount. If they could pay the men, where Im~g~ne what sort of a scheme that will' be i would the money come from~ There is no Tins IS what the editor of the ''State Service provision for any amount earmarked for this Journal" had to say in August, 1947: purpose. I maintain that the Budget as '' :Sup~rannuation is the subject of dis­ presented is not a true statement of the cussion m every depa~tment every day, and finances of the Government. If that lean' the comm~nts regardmg the inactivity of has to be taken out or if men have to be the Premier are not making the service paid, money will hm'e to come from some :my more kindly disposed towards his other somce. I should like to know where Government. the million pounds has gone that the Queens­ "There are two main causes of complaint land Government promised the railway men in return for their good service during the an.d both can .be rem_oved quite simply. Th~ pnme cause IS the madequacv of the Gov­ war years. emment 's subsidy. Contribu'tors subscribe lUr. Power: You are not making much £126,000 each year, while the gross value impression. Do you not think jt is time of the Government's subsidy is £4,000. Is you knocked off~ Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 855

Jir. LOW: I am keeping the hon. gentle­ the hon. member spoke of it. I trust, however, man quiet. that en'lltuallv the matters he discussed will sink in. " · iU:r. Aikens: Do you mean to say they place their personal comfort before their I was verv interested also in some of the duties in Parliament'! 'remarks of the Secretary for Public In:,truc­ tion and the hon. member for Mackay. Each }Ir. LOW: I do not know about that. spoke, although from a different point of view, of the mineral wealth that lies in Ccn tral and The capital indebtedness of the Railway X orthen1 Queensland. It cannot be denied Department is now £42,703,000, compared that a tr(mendous amount of mineral wealth with £3:3,550,000 at 30 .Tune 1932 after the is lying there undeveloped and consequently writing-oft' of £28,000,000. 'There' has been of no immediate y-alue to the State, ancl when an innease of £7,153,000 in the past 15 yea,rs, one nalises that at the present time minerals although the length of line opened to traffic a're urgently required throughout Austmlia has increased by only eight miles. The and the \YOrld one becomes very disappointed reason f?r th" increase is mainly the practice that action "·as not taken to rBcover it. of chargmg renewals and replacement to Loan Fund Account, a practice that 'lvonld quickly At 3.59 p.m., bankrupt any private business o-r industry. The CHAIRJ\IAX resumed the chair. I think I can show from that Budget where l'epairs that should Le charged to the Rail­ JUr. JUORRIS: Some two or three years way Department Revenue J<'und are being ago, soon after I entered the House, charged against Loan Fund Account. How­ having bEen interested in that area eve~·, _that is the way _I interpret the budgetary and having seen evidence of the mineral pos1tron. Each sechon should carry its own yvealth there that wa·s unused, I made burden. · it my business to study the •report submitted As to the Post-war Reconstruction and to this Parliament by, I think, a select com­ Development Trust Fund, it is true there is mittee of the House. I was amazed to realise still about £1,800,000 available for railway that a Government, having had brought to purposPs. Practically .the whole of this their notice the enormous wealth that lay amount is appropriated for expenditure in the there, had done nothing whatever to bring current financial year, making the total that wealth into use. expenditure from this fund on railwa'ys about I still say that the Government, who have £3,350,000. been in power for the last 25 years, have fallen down tragically on their job and failed JJir. Power: Who prepared your brief? in their duty to the people of Queensland, :iUr. LOW: I wrote much of this. the people of Central and North Queensland in particular, in not exploiting the mineral lUr. Power: You are reading it pretty wealth that lies there awaiting development. well. I realise that nothing Yery constructive can be done at the moment, owing to the shortage 1Ur. LOW: I have it all worked out. of materials, and that perhaps nothing can It is doubtful whether this amount \vill be done for the next two or three years, but prove sufficient to cover the deferred main­ bv that time we shall have a progressive tenance and nncwals of the wa'r period. It Government in office and they will bring that seems probable, therefore, that in futnr.e· years wealth into use. maintenance costs will again be charged to Loan Fund Account and thBre will be a JUr. Aikens: Tell us how you will do it. further increase in the capital indebtedness Mr. !IORRIS: I do not intend to be of this department, without any increase in diverted from the speech I intend to make, the yalue of the assets. · but I have certain ideas as to how it can be done, and I shall be pleased to give them Mr. MORRIS (Elnoggera) (3.57 p.m.): to the Minister, the Premier, or anyone else, The hon. membBr for Comoora is to be most free, at any time that suits him. hea_rtily congratulated for bringing to the notice of the Committee the subject on which A subject that has been discussed he spoke in the early part of his speech. I frequently during this debate is the nationali­ listened with very great interest to his des­ sation of banking, and I listened with cription of the recovery of this wax f'rom the interest to the speech delivered by the Prime waste products of the sugar mills and if any Minister on the second reading of the Bill, in_d~stry can bring to this country another because I wanted to know all the facts and 1mlhon pounds from what has been in the all the points that he would bring forward. past a waste product, the matter should be I found that he resorted to the old practice brought to the attention of the Government. of which I see so much in this Chamber on I hope most sincerely that it will be investi­ the Government side when a weak case is gated thoroughly and the industry be given being put up, of resorting to inaccuracies an opportunity to get on its f·eet. and statements that are completely wrong and misleading to the people. We have had Jir. Aikens: I think everyone wlll agree with you on that point. examples of that in this Chamber in the last two or three days. IUr. ~I ORRIS: I sincerely hope so but Y estm·day the Secretary for Public Instruc­ I doubt whether everybody did because very tion spoke on the nationalisation of banking, little interest appeared to be displayed when and told us that no State in Australia has 8.56 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. suffered so much as Queensland from the ''The delegation consisted of Sir Robert co-operation between the banks and political Philp, Sir Alfred Cowley

to make political capital out of it to bolster 'Thousands of our own lads in the last SL'{ up the weakest case that he ever had to years sacrificed a great deal of theiT time, support in this Chamber. I say in all sincerity and many sacrificed their lives, in fighting that in their heart of hearts not 25 per cent. of for freedom as opposed to Nazi-ism, Fascism hon. members opposite approve of the Federal and Socialism. Now, when the war is over !Janking legislation and are hoping and pray­ and they return to their homeland looking for mg th~t our efforts to stop it from becoming the benefits of peace, they find that this very law vnll succeed. One has only to look at freedom they fought for is being filched from the expressionS' on their faces now to know them. If this banking legislation goes through, that I am right. They do not want this we can say good-bye both to freedom and legislation. democracy. Our ancestors came to Australia No-one can tell me that if this legislation because they wanted to settle in and develop becomes law it is not going to grind Queens­ a countl'}' as free and unfettered citizens, land down m~re and more. Although hon. like the people who left England for America. members opposrte belong to the same political The people of ~\.mer·ica have fought for and party as the Government in Canberra, they maintained that freedom. It is that freedom know full well that even now they have to that \Ye are losing today. If this nationalisa­ go on_ their bended knees to Canberra to get tion-of-banking legislation is to be followed anythmg for t~ueensland. They know as well by legislation as iniquitous in character as I do that Queensland is being treated as then we in Queensland, much as I dislike it, the Cinderella State of the Commomyealth bv will have no alternative but to move for the Federal Government and has been -so secession. Nothwithstanding the many pit­ ever since the Hon. J oseph Benedict Chifiey falls that might follow such a move, I should ltas been in power. It is time that this treat­ prefer it that way. I should prefer it that ment ceased. So far as I am concerned, I way rather than lose our freedom and live w~nt _to see Queensland get a fair go instead like caged birds dependent for our security ot bemg crushed down, as she is today. This on the people who had caged us. hankin_g legislation is going to be the last simw m that process because once that legis­ lUr. Aikens: Are you an advocate of lation is passed there will be no hope what­ secession of Queensland from the Common­ ever for Queensland, and hon. members oppo­ wealth site lmow it very well. Mr. lUORRIS: I prefer that Queensland This legislation is simply the first step should secede from the Commonwealth rather towards the introduction of Socialism in Aus­ than be a party to this damning legislation tralia, a. system that has been in operation that is before the Federal Parliament at the in Emope for 10 years and one that has present time. Every public man in touch with killed more than one country. the public knows that the people hate the thought of this legislation. (Government The legislation now being introduced by the interjections.) I say they do. I know it, and Federal Government will kill Australia in so does the Prime Minister of Australia. just the same way a·s· the legislation i~tro­ If the Prime Minister did not know it, duced in Germany and Italy eventually killed he would have met the wishes of the huge those countries. · · number of people who signed petitions throughout Australia by giving them the right When I think of this legislation I hark to express their own opinion_ They are back to the inauguration of Federation. having their all taken away from them and Federation was sponsored by a: number of they will not have the right to express their men who had a vision of a free Aust-ralia opinion. (Government interjections.) an Australia. of which we could all be utterlf and completely proud and a nation of which The CHAIRlUAN: Order! There is far we should have no reason to be ashamed The too much noise in the Chamber. I hope hon. principle and ideal of Federation is a' verv members will allow the hon. member for good one, but under our sys'tem of .l!'eden\­ Enoggera to make his speech without inter­ tion all States, the smaller States as well as ruption. the larger 01ies, should be properly and fairly treated. The larger States with their pre­ lUr. ll£0RRIS: I have heard it said that ponderance of representation, should not the J<'ecleral Government have gone back with wield a force to the detriment of the smaller a mandate from the people to introduce States. The bureaucracy that is becoming nationalisation. That ~s not so. I have rampant at Canberra, together with the referred to the statements published prior banking legislation, is, so far as Queensland to the 1946 Federal election and if hon. is concerned, abs•olutely killing the spirit of members also refer to them they will see Federation. Recently I have heard a lot of that Dr. Evatt then promised or made state­ talk about secession. I believe that Federa­ ments from which it could be adduced there t!on as an ideal is one of the greatest prin­ would be no introduction of nationalisation Ciples Australia should embraee, but in view of banking or anything else. I say quite of the nationalisation-of-bankin()' legislation definitely that the introduction of that legisla­ a'nd other legislation that is beir:r'g introduced tion, in view of the remarks made by Dr. at Canberra, there is only one thing for Evatt and the present Prime Minister, is an Queensland to do, and that is to secede from absolute condemnation of themselves and a the Federation. I hate the thought of that, repudiation of the will of the people. but if we want to live f•ree and unfettered as I repeat that if there is any doubt at all our forefathers did before us, that is the there is only one action that should be taken only \my out that I can see. by the Federal Government, that is, to give 858 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. the people the right to express themselves at I will accept his word, but until he denies it the ballot-box and say whether they want I have nothing to do but accept as a fact this iniquitous, this horrible damning legisla­ what he said. tion, or want to refuse it. If there are hon. members who believe that the people are lUr. Bruce: Officers of my department almost completely in favour of the introduc­ do not lay down the policy of the Gove1·nment. tion of this legislation I am prepared to }lr. lUORRIS: I should imagine that the challenge those members that I will resign policy of the Govemment would be laid down my seat and fight it on bank nationalisation by Caucus, and the Secretary for Public if one of them or the Minister will do the Instruction would be the mouthpiece of Caucus same thing. I caimot make any faiTer offer so far as educational policy is concerned. tha·n that. I can say this concerning the Ministers on that side-and looking at the lUr. Bruce: That is correct. back benches-there is not one member of the Labour Party who would fight a by-election :Mr. liORRIS: If that is so, we are on that subject. If they are prepared to entitled to take it from the remark~ of the take up my challenge, I shall be pleased. Minister that he is opposed to vocational guidance, and. I am seriously perturbed about There is a matter tl1at I have discussed that. I know also that all persons who are with the Secretary for Public Instruction to interested in the progress of education are which I wish to ma'ke reference. In order to seriously perturbed to realise that that is the support a case the Minister went back to attitude of the Govemment. I believe that 1920 and completely misquoted facts. More­ the introduction of vocational guidance is the over, three or four weeks ago when he 'vas greatest means of obtaining individual happi­ speaking on another oecasion, I asked him ness ancl progress in this State. by way of interjection whether he did not I ask hon. members of the Committee to believe in t.he ~nt'roduction. orE vocational consider with me one or two questions relat­ guidance in Queensland. He said, "Ko I do ing to vocational guidance. I would ask not believe in vocational guida'nce; 'I do 1hem to consider first: what is the science of not believe that psychiatrists are able to vocational guidance~ To answer that question express any opinion' '-I forget his actual I will read a short extract from a booklet words-'' about the ability of a child.'' His rntitled, ''The Future of Education from words could only show that he was aga'inst School to \Vork. '' It is issued by the Aus­ vocational guidance. I should not be Yery tralian Council for Educational Research, on perturbed if one of the hon. members opposite which there are representatives of this and who occupy the back benches made. that state­ every other State in Australia. The extract ment about voeational guidance in the terms reads- the Minister used, but I do feel seriously '' In the last three decades vocational disturbed to think that the Minister who guidance, a new branch of applied science, has· control of the educational programme of has grown up, often in the face of luke­ this State should have expressed such warm governmental support.'' antipathy towards vocational guidance. Yet For example, in Queensland. The extract I feel we are entitled to believe that this continues- must be the opinion of the Government; otherwise it would not have been said by the '' To assist young people in the problem Minister. of choosing anib planning their careers. It is imperative that our schemes for the post-war world include adequate provision l'llr. BRUCE: I rise to a point of order. for this service to all young Australians The hon. member does not remember my who need it. One State of the Common­ words. What I said was tha.t the better wealth has already a healthy system in way would be for the school teacher to deal operation, but others have done practically kindly and properly with the child and so nothing so far to provide vocational guid­ find out what he wanted to learn and do­ ance.'' that that would be the most desirable method. Anybody who has studied the operations of vocational guidance at all will agree with me llr. MORRIS: I accept the hon. mem­ that many difficulties in the way of choosing ber's statement. I know that he stated what a career present themselves to the parents he is saying now, but notwithstanding the of the child, and to the child. First of all ignorant chortles from the back benches I there is the limitation of knowledge of those remember also what else he said, because I making the choice of a vocation, the limita­ have quite a good memory. I interjected to tion of both parent and child. the Minister and asked, ' 'Do you not believe The second difficultv is the fact that it has in a system of vocational guidance~" He replied, ''I do not.'' I challenge him to deny generally been acknowledged, unfortun~tely, it. It is printed in '' Ha'nsard.'' I repeat that the bright child should automat1cally that we are entitled to believe that he is enter an academic career and that the child expressing the opinion of his Government, who is not so bright should enter a manual and I am particularly perturbed that that career. That in itself is very often a grave should be the opinion of the Government. error. It is a poor state of affairs if the .Minister The third difficulty in career-choosing is the in charge of a department makes frustmtion and unhappiness that result if a statement contrary to the policy of his the person who has chosen a career . ~nd Government. If the Minister is trying to entered upon it is unable to hold the pos1t~on tell me that he did not mean what he said to which he or she goes, or the frustratwn Supply. [17 OCTOBER.] Supply. 859 that would be experienced if he or she is Psychology maintained a regular follow-up not a blc to progress beyond the first rung of of as many of its guidance cases as the ladder in that vocation. 'l'hat is a possible. The evidence forthcoming up to problem that faces all young men and women 1937 may be summarized as follows:- today but I firmly believe that it can be ''Of a total of 941 cases followed up, overcome to a great extent if vocational 691 (73.4 per cent.) were found to be guidance is used extensively in our schools in occupations in accordance with the and college" as our youth progress in life. recommendations originally made by the The :fourth problem in choosing a career institute, whereas 250 (26.6 per cent.) is the unsta blc way of life that is engendered were in occupations of a kind for which by uncertainty and irregular employment, they had been judged unsuitable. Using leading to a variety of gmvc sorial evils. as criteria such data as the person's Thm; does not need anv elaboration because satisfaction with his work and superiors' I feel that it will be accepted by e\·c;ry hon. satisfaction with the manner in which member. he carried out his duties, the cases were dh·ided into successful, don btful, and The nPxt problem in choosing a career is unsuccessful, as follows: '' that of failure to use human talent where it In the group that went to the job recom· can best he used. J am sure we all realise mended (691 persons), 89 per cent. were that in thC'sc days of greater and greater adjudged completely successful, 6 per cent. leisure, in these days when we are progressing doubtful, and only 5 per cent. unsuccessful. not onlv in the State controlled lw I,abonr but in 'those States that have never known There are some people who might not have a Labour Government-they are all progress­ heard these figures and I quote them in full ing to\nnds greater leisure-it is vital that for their benefit. They are- that leisure be used to the best possible ad\·antage. It is also vital, if our country Percentage of Group. is to progress, that we use the talents of the men and women employed in our country so Group. No. Success· Doubt· l:Jn- as to give the best results while actually ful. ful. success- engaged in their occupations. ful. ------Another factor is that this is an age of greater specialisation and it is therefore more In jobs recom~ mended 691 89 6 5 imperative than ever to select a vocation at Tn jobs judg~d an early age. It is commonly acknowledged unsuitable .. 250 44 25 31 that every year we are progressing more and more to greater specialisation in every That is the result of one of the studies. It sphere, trade and profession, so that the is all very well to treat these things lightly, greater the specialisation the more imperative but I say that it is a vital point and I it is that our. children be guided into the believe it is one to be considered carefully actual departments of the career to which because it is a system that must be intro­ they are most suited. duced in Queensland if we are to get our There are probably many other problems children to progress as we want them to. that must be considered in the choosing of a This is the onlv way to prevent the difficulties career for our sons and daughters and I caused by trying 'to place square pegs in believe that voea tion::tl guidance will help to round holes. overcome them for all parents as it is intro­ J.Ur. Larcombe: It is being done. duced and becomes a complete part of our educational system. lUr. lUORRIS: What a ridiculuous thing The next problem we have to decide is to say! Here in Queensland I think we whether vocational guidance is going to do all have had-and I do not propose to be the good that I and many other people say absolutelv certain on this-not more than it will. We have to ask, "Has vocational three vo~ational·guidance experts. guidance proved itself in any other part of 3Ir. Bruce: Have you heard of the the world.'' It most certainly has. It has Juvenile Employment Bureau~ heen in operation for three decades in Eng· land, in certain parts of the continent in lUr. lUORRIS: In the department there America, and in one of the other States of are not more than three vocational-guidance the Commonwealth most extensively. I am experts. going to quote certain principles of the ~Ir. Bruce: You must start somewhere. system, again from the booklet I have mentioned before. I\Ir. :\I ORRIS: Yes, we started some­ where three years ago and we paid the salary The first one is described in a quotation of a real vocational-guidance expert. He headed ''How effective are existing guidance was an expert and I think his name was techniques~ " and says- Pratt. We paid him a salary so totally '' Three groups of follow·np studies will inadequate for his qualifications that when be examined briefly in order to indicate he was offered a higher salary in the South the value of the service that can be he went and when he went we were left with rendered by vocational guidance as it has nobody. In the Estimates presented to this been given in the recent past. Committee 12 months ago I saw that we ''English Studies: I. Over a period of were paying to the vocational·gnidance expert years the National Institute of Industrial £500 odd a year. I think it was £570, or it 860 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply.

might have been £550. Do not forget that that does not wony me-then let him get up we lost that man. On referring to the cunent later on and make his own speech. Estimates, I find that an allowance is made of a paltry £500 for this man. I\Ir. Aikens: I have already said it. How arc we to encourage vocational-guid­ The CUAHt1UAN: Order! If the hon. ance experts to come to Queensland if the member for Mundingburra does not· obey my GoYernment will pay them only a lousy £500 call to order I shall have to name him. a year when they can get £1,000 a year, or .:ur. iliORRIS: I did intend to quote other close to it, in the South~ vVe shall have to authorities on vocational guidance. I have build up our vocational-guidance section and here a study from Birmingham, published in >Ye could do it if the Government were not 1932. I have American studies and other Aus­ so parsimonious or lousy as they are. We tralian studies. However, they all point out have certainly not more than three vocational­ that the development of Yocational guidance is guidance experts whereas in New South vVales the only system to be employed, because it they have 380. constitutes a vast move towards overcoming JUr. Bruce: In New South Wales they the problem of dead-end kids, of square pegs pay heavy subsidies to train the people for in round holes, and so on. I believe that there that WOTk. are certain hon. members in the Chamber who are sufficiently interested to read these lUr. lUORRIS: If there are any scientific pamphlets. 'l'hey are available, and I hope means whereby we can train people, equip they will read them. If they are sceptical them for their jobs in life, make them hap­ about the ·mlue of vocational guidance, their pier, more contented and useful citizens than doubts will have disappeared after they have they are today, do you think that we should read these works. stop at· the spending of a little extra money to train experts in that work~ Such an atti­ However, I should like to quote from one tude on the part of the Govermnent is wrong, more authority on the subject- and that is why they cannot get the requisite '' First, vocational guidance based upon teachers. The trouble is that they do not the use of modern psychological techniques think the problem of education is as important provides a sound aid in planning a career. as it really is. The Government fail to pay The large majority of persons who enter reasonable salaries to the people who are occupations with the counsellor's approval experts in this work. do in fact succeed in those occupations.'' The most· important duty of any Govern­ ''Second, modern guidance techniques are ment is to give proper education to the not so highly developed that the counsellor children and in that respect this Government can accept responsibility for telling youths fail. We have not got a decent system of upon what careers they should or should education, and yearly the position is becoming not embark. Although only a minority vf worse. It is time the problem was faced. It those entering careers for which the coun­ is .the duty of the Minister to say, "We are sellor deemed them unsuitable, did succeed, gomg to pay more for these teachers, so that the proportion is much too· great to give this important work can be done.'' him the right to exceed the role of councilling. '' JUr. Aikens: You realise now that you That is the one, at any rate the greatest are criticising the Industrial Court~ problem of vocational guidance. Too often lUr. MORRIS: I am criticising the people who becomP obsessed with vocational salaries that are paid. guidance are inclined to become directors :rtir. Aikens: And that means you are rather than guides. That should be prevented, criticising the Industrial Court. otherwise all the value of vocational guidanlle will be lost. :rtir. MORRIS: I do not care what the hon. member has to say about it at all. 'fhis I have in mv hands an extract from the is the responsibility of the Government and "Sydney Morning Herald" of 30 September it is to their everlasting disgrace that instead last, giving full details of the aptitude test, of meeting the educational problems as they an important part of vocational guida11ec, and could and should, they are lagging further and showing how that aptitude test has operated. further behind the other States of the Com­ Any hon. member can read it for himself. monwealth. Speak to any educationist in The other day I received a·n envelope, Australia and he will say, ''Queensland, no. issued I think by the Department of Health It lags right behind, and is one of the most and Home Affairs, containing a kindercraft backward States in the matter of education handbook as issued to the parents of the in Australia.'' That is what I am fighting, pre-school child. I am afraid I shull not that· is what I am trying to overcome. It is have an opportunity dming the Estim3.tes of something that could be overcome if the discussing the problem of kindergarten work. Government would only face up to the If I was assured that the Estimates of the problem. Department of Public Instmetion would come before the Committee this year for a change­ JUr. Aikens: Let us be fair about this. vYe have not had them for a few years-I The CHAIRj}JAN: Order! should not go to the trouble of dealing with the subject today. This booklet brings home :rtir. :rtiORRIS: I am making this speech. the thought that is acknowledged by all If the hon. member for Mundingburra dis­ students, that the kindergarten phase is an agrees with me-and he probably does, but extremely important part in the early life Supply. 2[1 OCTOBER.] Questions. 861

of a child. The building and furnishing of kindergartens should be the responsibility of the Department of Public Instruction entirely. I shall not be satisfied until I see the Government taking the responsibility for kindergartens, both of buildings and furnishings. iUr. Kerr: They do it in England. lUr. JUORRIS: I know they do and in man:v other places as \Yell. I am putting up a plea fDT the Government to consider the position of kindergartens. In some areas the Goyernment provide a piccP of land for the erection of a kindergarten if the parents erect and furnish the building. That is iniquitous. It is asked of those parents who have children of a kinde1·garten age that they should go to all the expense and difficulty of erecting that kindergarten, and then hand it on to posterity. Why should that extra tax be placed on parents who desire to get something a little better for their children than the Government want to give. It is totally unfair. 'rhat is a responsibility of the Government. The Government should erect kindergartens throughout the length and breadth of Queensland, not only in Ithaca. Mr. Hanlon: The Government are erect­ ing one in Ashgrove. lUr. 1\IORRIS: There is one in Ithaca too. Mr. Hanlon: No, the Kindergarten Association erected that building. The local committee let the work fall down. It could not get it going, so it could not carry on. lUr. }!ORRIS: That is a very amusing argument. The obvious answer is to spread that argument a little bit and get all parents interested in kindergartens to take up the movement and then fall down on their job so that the Government will take it on. I do not think they will. Mr. Hanlon: The best kindergarten is in Rosalie in my area, and it is run by the Kindergarten Association. They are working people there, not a·s well off as the people out where the thing fell down. }Ir. JUORRIS: As far as verbal sparring with the Premier goes, I am like a child. I say this: the Government are falling down on their responsibility, and the Premier can­ not deny that. They provided one kinder­ garten in West Ashgrove and they are pro­ \'iding the teachers for it; and it is their responsibility to do that throughout the rest of Queensland. There are thousands of parents throughout Brisbane who want their children to go to kindergartens, but they cannot do it because it is impossible to raise sufficient money to erect one and arrange training. I say it is to the everlasting disgrace of the Government that they haYe not done it up to the present time; and if they do not provide these kindergartens they are continu­ ing to fall down on the job. Progress reported. The House adjourned at 4.52 p.m.