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I. —17

that when he inspected the crop of some of the growers he stated that the leaf was of too good a quality to air-dry and required a kiln. To this end the growers arranged the necessary finance, and cured their leaf without expert supervision or instruction. They have not received any price from the Government other than an advance, with recourse, of Bd., and arrangements were made to ship certain quantities to Great Britain. Those who erected the kiln received £46 15s. 4d. for 3,568 lb. of leaf, which cost £269 ss. Bd. to produce. Another grower received for air-dried leaf, 556 Ib., £6 Bs. 6d., which cost £74 18s. 2d. to produce ; and another received 7s. 3d. for 185 lb. of leaf costing £36 Os. sd. to produce. Certain small quantities of these aggregate poundages are held in Wellington, not being regarded as fit for export. The position in regard to the Marlborough district was stated before the Committee by Mr. E. Bartlett, secretary to the Growers' Association : "We were advised to grow tobacco, and grow it in large quantities, by Mr. Lowe, the Chief Instructor. He told us that New Zealand tobacco was equal to the best Virginian ; that Wills had constructed an edifice covering floor-space of eight acres ; that they would be exporting the tobacco by the million pounds' worth. He told us that we could not go wrong, and that, providing we produced the goods, the manufacturers would be tumbling over one another to buy it." Lack of constant instruction was also complained of by this witness. No leaf was exported, but after much negotiation part of the crop was purchased by the National Tobacco Co. The total travelling-allowance paid to the Government Instructor from the Ist September, 1929, to the 30th June, 1930, was £444. The total travelling-expenses other than travelling - allowance paid in respect of that officer during the same period was £517, and, according to the same departmental statement, " The only tobacco-leaf marketed during that period by farmers not growing under contract to either the National Tobacco Co. or Messrs. W. D. and H. 0. Wills, Ltd., was that raised in the Rotorua district. lam advised by the National Tobacco Co. that full particulars regarding their purchase of this leaf have been forwarded direct to the Tobacco Committee." Regarding this particular transaction, the full details of the attitude of the company in the matter and the inferior quality of the leaf will be found in the minutes of evidence. Possibilities of an Export Market for New Zealand Leaf. The possibility of establishing a market overseas for the consumption of New Zealand leaf engaged the careful consideration of your Committee. The consideration of such a future market naturally falls under two heads —(1) the market in the United Kingdom ; (2) the Australian market. The evidence tendered by the representatives of the Auckland tobacco-growing companies demonstrate clearly that, as far as such companies are concerned, they have no present domestic market, nor have they been able to establish up till now a market overseas. The Ninth Report of the Imperial Economic Committee dealing with Tobacco, and the recent deliberations of the Empire Marketing Board, have been under the review of your Committee. The Marketing Board, at a meeting held in February of this year, considered the following proposals of the Economic Committee :— (а) The possibility, at comparative small expenditure, of initiating investigations into the nature of aroma in tobacco-leaf, and the quality of the leaf on which it depends. This should be of assistance to research workers overseas. (б) Might summon later a small conference of those engaged in various lines of tobacco research in the United Kingdom and in the chief Empire producing countries, to interchange experience, establish contact, and to correlate the main lines of future action. (c) Might endeavour to arrange its advertising programme so as to direct the attention of the public in the near future to the existence and improvement in quality of Empire leaf. Time is of importance, as much depends on establishing the Empire cigarette (now chiefly the " Rhodian ") in public favour. (d) Might obtain from manufacturers lists of brands which they advertise as " Empire " tobaccos, cigarettes, or cigars, containing more than a certain minimum of Empire tobacco. It might be made known that the Empire Marketing Board have these lists and would to inquirers. (e) Might establish a Tobacco Information Committee, with the special duty of supplying the Empire producing countries with information regarding the progress of the consumption of Empire tobaccos in pipes, cigarettes, and cigars in the United Kingdom, and on the probable developments from time to time in Empire countries. After due consideration of the above, the following resolutions were arrived at by the Empire Marketing Board : — (a) That the matter of aroma was one of the greatest importance, and should be subject to research. It was agreed that the best possible avenue for such research was in the producing countries, and not in London, for the principal reason that there was no data on which to work at this end, and also that difficulties existed in carrying out investigations after the product had undergone various climatic and other changes during transit. On that account representatives were requested to communicate the resolution to their Governments, with the suggestion that methods of research —more particularly in relation to the quality of the leaf—be considered, and that the methods proposed be submitted, together with estimated cost, for consideration of the Tobacco Investigating Committee.