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[GEOBOE WILLIAM LEADLEY.

77. Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.] You referred to the position of the farmers in Australia, and as to the rates they paid on the railways and in taxation: do you know whether a farmer in Australia nets as much for his grain at a seaport as a farmer at a seaport in this colony?—I think considerably more per bushel. 78. Can you tell the Committee whether the total charges before he gets his grain to the seaport are as great to the farmer there as to the farmer here, irrespective of labour ?—I think, taking the rent of the land and the cost of transit, he would be a considerable gainer. 79. Do you know the average distance the meat or wheat is carried to a seaport in Australia compared with New Zealand?—l do not know. 80. Do you know that there are only about four ports in the whole of the Australian Continent where the farmers can get their meat or wheat carried away?— They are limited. 81. Would you be surprised to learn that the average number of miles grain and meat have to be carried to a seaport in New Zealand is under eighty? —I did not think it would be so great. 82. And that the average is 150 miles in Australia?—l am not surprised at that. 83. Under these circumstances, would you, as a practical man, think the rates would be as low per bushel of grain or per bale of wool in a country where they would have to carry them double the distance that they do in this country?— No. 84. That is a phase of the question that has to be coped with: As a matter of choice would you change places with an Australian farmer?—l have not been there. I have no reason to complain of the way in which New Zealand has treated me; but looking to the future, I think it is a serious thing which is involved in the tariff proposal, because I have my boys' interests to consider. 85. As a New-Zealander, if .you had the opportunity offered upon equal conditions, would you change places with an Australian farmer?—l would like to have a look at the place first. 86. Do you know the quantity of wheat that is exported from Australia to all countries? —I cannot speak of that, because I have not the figures in my mind. 87. According to the records for the year 1904-5 we have Australian figures showing the total yield of wheat as 54,527,491 bushels, from which were exported in the year 1905, 24,647,998 bushels or 14,788,909 centals valued at £4,174,128 sterling. For the same period in New Zealand the value exported was £144,374, which represented 967,151 bushels. What would the effect be of a duty in favour of the country exporting to the value of £4,174,128, upon a country with an export of £144,374, supposing we were to give this concession of 9d. a cental? — I think the effect would be that we should cease to be an exporting country, and also cease to be a wheat-growing country. It would kill our export trade. If we could grow wheat for export and send it on to London, it would be an advantage in connection with our freights. We should probably get our imports cheaper. It might even reduce the cost of freight for our mutton and the cost in labour if the shipowners could get our wheat for " stiffening." 88. Why do you suggest that the statistics collected by the Agricultural Department for the Official Year-book* are unreliable?— Last year I went to a great deal of trouble in arriving at the actual return, and came into contact with hundreds of farmers moving up and down the country. From my own observation I am satisfied that the estimated yield shown by the official figures was not obtained from the land. Ido not mind saying that men come to me very often to make inquiries, and ask what I think about the yield, and I give them a rough estimate. 89. Are you aware that the representative of the district interviews the growers and asks what area of wheat they have under crop?— The officers leave the paper at the house. The particulars as to acreage are collected in the months of October and November, and the officers interview you if they run against you, say, in the saleyard, and ask what you think will be the yield. 90. As a matter of fact, the information, for what it is worth, is taken from the growers in some way or other?— Yes; but it is not worth much. When I give the yield of grain I include all the " seconds." 91. Of course, the figures are approximate, because the information has to be given before the grain is threshed? —Yes, often I think the best way would be to compel the threshing-machine owners to give correct returns of all they put through their machines. 92. I suppose, generally speaking, the information contained in the Official Year-book is very reliable?— Yes. H. J. Middleton examined. (No. 4.) 93. The Chairman.] You are a farmer? —Yes, at Waimahaka, Southland. I would like to say, speaking as one of the representatives for the Farmers' Union, that the reason why we specialise on wheat is because we recognise that that was the article in this proposed tariff that was going to touch the farmers of New Zealand the most. Very few of the other articles were of considerable consequence to us. That is the reason why our spokesman devoted the whole of his time to the matter of wheat. The few remarks I wish to make have regard to oats and potatoes. Ido not think the farmers of Southland generally will be at all gratified if this proposal is agreed to, because they are getting such a small concession, which I believe amounts to id. a bushel, in the way of counterbalancing the loss. Oats are not now the all-in-all to Southland that they once were. The farmers there recognise that if they can only get Is. 6d. a bushel on an average in price they do not pay, and that they can turn their land to better uses than the cultivation of oats. Therefore it is not now at all a vital question with them. They think they would conserve the fertility of their land by devoting it to some other purpose. With regard to potatoes, the people would be better off if the duty were removed altogether. In years of plenty we have to sell the potatoes at.prices that other countries could not compete with, and the duty simply raises the cost to the consumer in years of scarcity without being of any great benefit to the producer. That is the general opinion of farmers in Southland. 94. Hon. Sir J. G. Ward:] What quantity of potatoes has New Zealand in any year available for export?—l cannot tell you.