Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 1949

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

130 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Questions.

WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST, 1949.

The ACTING SPEAKER (The CHAIR­MAN of COMMITTEES, Mr. Mann, Bris­bane) took the chair at 11 a.m.

DATES FOR BY-ELECTIONS.

ELECTORAL DISTRICTS OF IPSWICH AND KURILPA.

The ACTING SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on Monday next Mr. Speaker intends to issue writs of elec­tion for the electoral districts of Ipswich and Kurilpa, the dates being-

Issue of Writs . . 22 August. ~omination Day . . 29 August. Polling Day . . 10 September.

Return of Writs . . 14 September.

QUESTIONS.

TENDERS FOR RAILWAY REFRESHMENT ROOMS.

Jlr. LUCKINS (Maree) asked the Minister for Transport-

' 'Will he inform the House the reason for disposing of railway refreshment rooms by public tender~ Is it intended to offer all the rooms for sale by tender~"

Hon. J. E. DUGGAN (Toowoomba) replied-

' 'It has always been the policy to lease railway refreshment rooms when necessary. No.''

INTAKE AND RESIGNATIONS OF TEACHERS.

Mr. MORRIS (Enoggera) asked the Secretary for Public Instruction-

'' 1. How many candidates who competed in the 1948 Senior Public examination (a) were offered, and (b) accepted senior teacher scholarships~

'' 2. How many candidates who passed the Junior Public examination held in 1948 (a) were offered, and (b) accepted junior training college scholarships~.

'' 3. How many students, other than those received from the above sources, have been enrolled at the Teachers' Training College since January, 1948 ~"

:U:on. H. A. BRUCE (The Tableland) replied-

" 1. (a) 207; (b) 82. "2. (a) 571; (b) 191. "3. 64."

Mr. MORRIS (Enoggera) asked the Secretary for Public Instruction-

'' 1. How many teachers resigned from or left the teaching service (a) in 1948, (b) from 1 January to 1 August, 1949 ~

'' 2. What was the total intake of teachers from all sources (a) in 1948, (b) from 1 J mmary to 1 August, 1949 ~''

Questions. [17 AUGUST.] Questions. 131

Hon H. A. BRUCE (The Tableland) replied-

'' 1. Number of teachers resigned from or left the teaching service-(a) In 1948, 405; (b) from 1 January to 1 August, 1949, 279.

'' 2. Total intake of teachers from all sources-(a) In 1948, 291; (b) from 1 .January to 1 August, 1949, 461."

PROCLAMATION OF TRAF>'IC ACT OF 1949.

Mr. NICKLIN (Murrumba-Leader of the Opposition) asked the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs-

'' 1. What portions of the Traffic Act of 1949 have been proclaimed~

'' 2. If the portions dealing with driving vehicles whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol have not yet been proclaimed, what is the reason for the delay~"

Hon. A. JONES (Charters Towers) replied-

" 1. and 2. Draft Regulations under the Traffic Act of 1949 are in course of being finalised, and are at present with the Government Printer. Administratively it is necessary for all the forms to be printed and in the hands of issuing officers before the Act is proclaimed. However, the Government is anxious that the Act should be proclaimed at the earliest possible moment. In the interim appropriate action is being taken, in accordance with the provisions of the present traffic legisla­tion, against persons found under the influence of liquor or drugs while in charge of motor vehicles.''

CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOL RESIDENCES.

!Ur. EVANS (Mirani) asked the Secre­tary for Public Works-

'' 1. How many school residences were (a) approyed for construction and (b) constructed in 1948-49 ~

'' 2. In what electorates were such I'esi­dences constructed~ ' '

Hon. W. POWER (Baroona) replied­" 1. (a) Eleven; (b) Two. ' '2. In addition to the two residences

completed during the year, four others were approaching completion at 30 June, 1949, and construction work was proceeding on each of the other residences. Residences have been erected in the electorates where they were considered to be most urgently needed.''

NUMBER AND COST OF GOVERNMENT MOTOR-CARS.

1\Ir, WANSTALL (Toowong) asked the Premier-

Will he inform the House-'' 1. The number of passenger cars owned

by the Government and carrying only a 'Q' and not a 'QG' numberf

'' 2. To whom these cars are allocated, indicating which are privately driven and

which chauffeur-driven, and showing the average monthly mileage credited to each car~

'' 3. What returns are kept showing the petrol consumed by such cars, the mileage covered, the hours of operation, and the authorisation for particular jobs donef

'' 4. If no such returns are kept, why not, and what is the check to ensure that public moneys are not wasted in private use of vehicles, petrol, and oils W

'' 5. How many chauffeurs are currently in the Government's employ, and to whom are they allocated'

'' 6. Is it a fact that such chauffeurs are paid an extra £1 10s. per week as a substi­tute for overtime so that they are on call at any time and what check is made to ensure that such payment is adequate in relation to the value of overtime such chauffeurs do work~''

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane­Acting Premier), for Hon. E. M. HANLON (Ithaca), replied-

'' 1. to 6. The information is being obtained.''

QUEENSLAND-BRITISH FOOD CORPORATION­PURCHASE OF STUDEBAKER TRUCK.

llfr. RJELKE-PETERSEN (Nanango) asked the Premier-

'' In reference to the magnificent Stude­baker truck on show at the Exhibition, bearing the initials B.F.C., (a) was this vehicle purchased by or on behalf of the Queensland-British Food Corporation, and (b) if so, why was a suitable British truck not purchased in order to save dollar expenditure and to assist British export trade W ''

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane­Acting Premier), fo.r Hon. E. M. HANLON ( Ithaca), replied-

' ' (a) The vehicle was ordered some time ago by the Queensland-British Food Corporation but delivery has not yet been made. (b) The vehicle in question is a standard heavy utility truck of a type which was not available from British sources when the vehicle was ordered. Of the new motor vehicles purchased by the Corporation to date, 85 per cent. have been of British manufacture.''

PRICE OF BUTTER.

Jllr. MULLER (Fassifern) asked the Attorney -General-

'' In reference to his recent statement that the delay in dealing with the applica­tion of the dairying industry for an increase in the price of butter was because of inade­quate information, and in view of the fact that a report, after full investigation, was made months ago by the Dairying Industry Advisory Committee, will he kindly indicate what further information is required and what steps, if any, are being taken to secure such information~''

132 Questions. [ASSEMBLY.] Questions.

Hon. G. H. DEVRIES (Gregory) replied-,' It would appear that the hon. member

for Fassifern has been misinformed. I made no such statement. At a recent con­ference of Prices Ministers of all States, it was unanimously decided to reject the proposal for an increase in the home con­sumption price of butter. Actually, no application has been lodged with the Com­missioner of Prices by the dairy industry for an increase in the price of butter, so it is difficult to reconcile the statement regarding delay. However, I would advise that, following the recent conference of Prices Ministers held at Melbourne, the matter has been referred to the Common­wealth Government.''

EMPLOYEES, STATE HOUSING COMMISSION.

Mr. CHALK (East Toowoomba) asked the Secretary for Public Works, Housing and Local Government-

'' 1. What is the total number of employees on the staff of the Housi:ng Com­mission~

'' 2. Of the total, how many are employed in administration and duties pertaining thereto~

'' 3. How many are engaged on actual construction work f''

Hon. W. POWER (Baroona) replied­'' The amount of work involved in secur­

ing this detailed information is not war­ranted.''

QUEENSLAND-BRITISH FOOD CORPORATION­

PEAK DowNs CosTs.

Mr. PIE (Windsor) asked the Premier-' ' 1. What was the cost to the Government

and/or the British Food Corporation of the acquisition and establishment of the Peak Downs propertyf

'' 2. What are the present running costs and individual salaries paid to all employees both administrative and productive~''

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane­Acting Premier, for Hon. E. M. HANLON (Ithaca), replied-

'' 1. The Peak Downs property cost £86,000. The Overseas Food Corporation met 75 per cent. of this cost and the Queensland Government 25 per cent. It is not clear what is meant by the word 'establishment' in the question, but in this regard see answer to Question 2.

' '2. A detailed statement of accounts up to 31 March, 1949, was published in the Corporation's first annual report tabled in the House on 2 August, 1949. A further statement of accounts will be published in the second annual report. Running costs are shown in the Statement of Accounts, as are total salaries. ' '

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND COAL DEVELOPMENT Co. PTY. LTD.

Mr. MAHER (West Moreton) asked the Premier-

' ' 1. Will he furnish the House with the names of the directors of the Central Queensland Coal Development Co. Pty. Ltd.~

'' 2. Is the capital held by this company of overseas or Australian origin f"

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane­Acting Premier), for Hon. E. lU:. HANLON ( Ithaca), replied-

'' 1. The directors of the company are­Joseph Harold Hoare, Robert William Lalor and Walter Raymond Hartland.

'' 2. The capital of the company is held by the Electric Supply Corporation (Over­seas) Limited, a company incorporated in England and registered in Queensland.''

QUEENSLAND-BRITISH FOOD CORPORATION-PROPERTIES ACQUIRED.

JUr. PIE (Windsor) asked the Premier-'' Will he supply details of the Queens­

land pastoral properties acquired since 3 August, 1949, by the Government and the British Food Corporation individually and in conjunction, showing-(a) Name of each property acquired, the acreage of each, and the district in which situated, (b) price per acre for each, and (c) what other properties have the Government and/or the British Food Corporation under consideration for acquisition~''

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane­Acting Premier), for Hon. E. lU:. HANLON ( Ithaca), replied-

" (a) and (b) No pastoral properties have been acquired since 3 August, 1949. (c) It would be imprudent to disclose details of any properties which may be under consideration for purchase at the present time.''

BUILDING PERMITS, SOUTH COAST ZONE.

Hon. V. C. GAIR (South Brisbane-Secretary for Labour and Industry)-

'' On Wednesday, 3 August, in response to certain questions asked by the hon. mem­ber for Albert regarding building permits, South Coast zone, I informed him, inter alia, that certain information was being obtained. I now have pleasure in furnish­ing that information. His questions were:-1. How many applications have been received to date for permission to erect or extend buildings in the South Coast zone~ Answer: 1,379. This informa­tion covers all classes of buildings, includ­ing dwelling houses in Zone B, from 6 April, 1948, the date Building Control Division took over the issue of approvals for building projects in that zone costing in excess of £50. 2. How many of such applications have been (a) approved, (b) refused, and (c) how many are still pend­ing~ Answer: (a) Approved, 857; (b) refused, 430; (c) pending, 82; (d) appli­cations withdrawn, 10. The 82 applications

Address in Reply. [17 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 133

still under consideration include those which have been referred back to the applicants for further information or to the Building Control inspectors for further investiga­tion.''

PAPERS.

The following papers were laid on the table:-

Orders in Council under-The Aliens Acts, 1867 to 1948 (11

August). The Landlord and Tenant Acts, 1948 to

1949 ( 4 August, 11 August (3)). The Profit·eering Prevention Act of 1948

(11 August). The Supreme Court Act of 1921 ( 4

August).

RAILWAY PROPOSALS.

DEVIATION, MOONMERA-MOONGAN. DUPLICATION, YEERONG'PILLY-KURABY.

THE ~HNISTER FOR TRANSPORT (Hon. J. E. Duggan, Toowoomba) laid on the table Plans, Sections and Books of Reference of the following railway pro­posals:-

Deviation, Kabra:Mt. Morgan; Duplication, Y cerongpilly to Kuraby;

together with the reports thereon of the Commissioner for Railways.

The Commissioner's reports were ordered to be printed.

ADDRESS IN REPLY.

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE.

Debate resumed from 16 August (see p. 130) on Mr. Jesson's motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

Hon. T. A. FOLEY (Normanby-Secre­tary for Public Lands and Irrigation) ( 11.17 a.m.): I desire at the outset to join with other hon. members in congratulating the mover and seconder of the motion before the Chair. That is the motion in reply to the Speech by His Excellency the Governor and their opening speeches were very fine and constructive contributions to this debate. They contain many valuable suggestions which I feel will be acted on as time proceeds.

The Speech of His Excellency can be described as a review of the activities of the State and a brief resume of its financial, industrial and administrative achievements. Hon. members, no matter on what side of the House they sit, must admit that the review was a very fine one. It disclosed a very fine programme of work in the vari­ous sections of the Government activities. Its most important feature was that the Treasurer reported a surplus for the financial year just ended. It was the tenth surplus since 1938. That is to say, the various Treasurers during that period have been able to report to this House ten surpluses in 11 consecutive financial years, including

nine in a row. Had we in Brisbane, or in any other part of Australia, a racehorse that was able to give us nine wins in a row, as the Treasurer has been able to give us sur­pluses, he would be declared a Phar Lap or a Carbine, had we a board of directors who produced good dividends for their shareholders over a similar period, the Press would acclaim them as the wonders of the age, but the Government have not received many bouquets from either the Press or the Opposition for their feat. In all their speeches the effective and judicious handling of the revenues of the State over that period by the Treasurer has been kept well in the background. I take this opportunity to pay a compliment to the Government for their very judicious handling of the State's finances over that period.

Naturally His Excellency did not have time to deal at any great length with the construction work that is going on very quietly under the direction of the Irrigation Department on the various projects that we have in hand. Only brief reference was made to it. It should be remembered too that besides this construction work, a good deal of time and effort is required of the staff in investigating various projects throughout Queensland.

Some reference was made yesterday by the hon. member for Hamilton during a very fine contribution to this debate to the gradual development of irrigation in this State. It is true that in 1892 we had 5,000 acres under irrigation, and we can record a total of only 92,000 acres up to 1948. This could be described as very slow progress indeed, but I should like to emphasise that many factors are responsible for this gradual development. Dr. Elwood Mead, in a report in 1909 on the control, conservation and use of water resources in Queensland, foresaw that development would be gradual. He said that while irrigation would be of great value in the future, the time for its comprehensive development had not arrived. That was in 1909, and from then up to the outbreak of war we have had the position in this State in whieh too much cheap land has been available to the average laud-seeker-a type of farmer who was not skilled in irrigation methods. We had been able to make avail­able up to that date vast areas of cheap agricultural and pastoral land-cheaper land than was to be had in any other part of Aus­tralia. Not only have we lacked the farmers possessing the necessary knowledge and skill for working land under irrigation conditions, but we have suffered from the lack of skilled inigatiouists also-men who coulq. guide and advise us upon the various projects in this State. We have, however, had varied experiences on the areas that have been under cultivation by irrigation. I refer to our sugar area at Iukerman in the North and the handicaps we experienced at Theodore. Those are some of the factors that have been responsible for the gradualness of this development, which, as has been pointed out, has been too slow, and possibly we could have shown greater production figures had we speeded up years ago.

134 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

Various factors do retard the development of a State. In my own lifetime I have seen Queensland go through many phases of development-from the bark humpy and slush lamp I knew when a boy on some of the mining fields in the North to the very fine cottages now owned by an average of over 70 per cent. of our citizens. That is indeed a great achievement. I have seen many parts of Queensland land in its virgin state-dense scrub-and I have watched its development through the pioneering stage. I have actually played a part in felling scrub on some of the lands in the northern parts of the State. I have seen also the pioneering stage of m:my of our pastoral properties. I have known the time when a settler 100 miles from a main township was considered to be absolutely isolated from civilisation. I have also seen the development of types in our herds, so that, for instance, we are now able to sell steers at two and a-half and three years when a comparatively few years ago they were sold at only four, five, and six years. The developmental work of ringbarking and water supply and better transport have improved matters considerably and we have now reached the stage when the lands of Queensland are occupied completely, except for pieces of arid and useless country to be found here and there-and there are very few of them. At the present time the whole of our land is occupied in some way or another and the stage has been reached where demand and population necessitate the subdividing of the existing land. So also we are entering on the phase of our development where irriga­tion projects are necessary to supply water to the farmers who are seeking land and who have a greater experience than we had when the Inkerman and Theodore projects were established.

It is contended by Mr. Colin Clark, known as the economic adviser to the Government, that to meet this demand and population requirement fully we shall require at least 500 farms annually. This involves extensive investigation of large tracts of land at present used for grazing only. That is the only source from which we eau get cultivable land to meet this demand for more intense cultiva­tion and production to meet the world hunger for food. The Bureau of Investigation and Department of Public Lands have recom­mended the investigation of 47,000,000 acres of grazing land extending from Goondi­windi in the South through the coast and highland belts, verging back into Central Queensland in the area in which are found the towns of Springsure, Emerald, and Cler­mont and north to Charters Towers and then into the country back of Charters Towers onto the Gulf country, which has usefHl summer rains four to five months in the year. A rough estimate by my officers indicate; the possibility of obtaining some 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 acres of good arable country, with a little grazing country attached, on which to put a number of people in the future. Natur­ally time will be required to investigate this area. In the Taroom and Calliope districts, for instance, at the present time we have

three teams of experienced officers thoroughly classifying the land that has been reported as having possibilities.

Jlfr. Sparkes: What will you do with that monopoly at Peak Downs. They are the biggest landholders of anyone.

Mr. FOLEY: There is nothing wrong with the method adopted there, and I an1 not going to be dra1vn into an argument on that matter at this stage. All I know is that by the adivities of the Queensland-British Foocl Corporation in the Peak Downs, Clermont and 'Springsure districts we shall produce more and more intensively from that land over the years than \Ye have up to now. 'rhe hon. member can throw cold water on the scheme if he wishes, but he cannot get away from the fact that for the last 50 years there have not been a dozen farmers cultivating that land for the growing of grain. We have reached a point at which grain is urgently needed to produce pig-meats for Great Britain and that Corporation has started to produce it. The day-to-day rainfall figures for the last 60 years show that at least the Corpora­tion can hope for 40 good crops in the next 60 years.

The point I want to emphasise is that that land will be cultivated intensively--

Mr. Sparkes: By a monopoly.

lUr. FOLEY: Not necessarily by a monopoly at all. The hon. member knows very well it is not a monopoly. He knows it is a body that has been developed for the specific purpose of growing grain in an area in which nobody would grow it before.

Jllr. Sparkes: Both Mr. Tweedie and Mr. V ellnagel showed you what they had done.

1\Jr. FOLEY: For the last 40 or 50 years the opportunity was there for me, for the hon. member who is interjecting and others, to acquire lancl in that area for less than £1 an acre, but nobody would go there. It was left to this enterprising body to take up a huge tract of country and develop it to greater advantage.

The point I ·wish to emphasise is that there is still a demand for land in some of the more favoured districts, such as along the coast highlands. The Bureau of Investiga­tion has indicated that 47,000,000 acres should be investigated, and that is being done now.

If this demand for approximately 500 farms a year is going to be met it will be the duty of whatever Government may be in power to take from present graziers some of the areas theY hold. This will be a tremendous task. At "present we have 73 skilled or trained field officers, whereas in 1938 we had 111, and it is obvious that our work and investigation are necessarily limited to what the staff we have are able to accomplish.

The area of land likely to be available for irrigation over this tremendous tract of country to which I have referred will be much more limited than the amount of land avail­able for dry-farming. This is due mainly to the limited number of suitable storage sites. There are some areas suitable for irrigation

Address in Reply. [17 AUGUST.] Addre-ss in Reply. 135

in our river basins and I understand from the Commissioner of Irrigation, who has made a comprehensive survey, that we shall have available more land than we shall be able to supply with water.

I pointed out earlier the many factors that have operated in our gradual develop­ment and it may be possible that this gradual rate of progress may yet work out to the benefit of Queensland instead of to its disadvantage. In the early irrigation settle­ments of Theodore and Inkerman-and the same can be said of the settlements at Mil­dura and at various other places in the South -difficulties and troubles were experienced. Those settlements have overcome many of these local difficulties and this gives us valu­able information. At Theodore, where we have an experimental farm, we are endeavour­ing to determine a permanent pasture suit­able to that area. In the South many years of investigation have been put into deter­mining what permanent pastures are suitable for the various settlements.

JUr. H. B. Taylor: But they did not put it aside for 15 years.

Mr. FOLEY: As I tried to emphasise before, population and demand were more intense because of the greater numbers of people in the southern States. We are only now arriving at the stage where we have to go in for the subdivision of existing blocks and the irrigation of those lands, a stage at which in the South they had arrived 25 or 30 years ago.

As I was saying, it is possible that this gradual rate of development will work out to our advantage instead of to our disadvan­tage. The Government of the day realise the need for expanding irrigation in this State and the word has been given to Mr. Lang, Commissioner of Irrigation, and to me as the Minister for the time being of the depart­ment concerned to build up a staff of tech­nicians and engineers so that we may do that work. There is a big job ahead of us. Mr. Lang, in one of the John Thomson lectures, delivered shortly after he arrived in the State, pointed out that there were many prob­lems to be investigated before an engineer could report to a Government on what was required in a particular irrigation project. Ji'or instance, certain run-off information is required; we have very little information of that kind. Then there are such factors as stream flow, soil availability and suitability under irrigation, cost involved, and so on. The general economics of the whole proposal have to be investigated carefully by each sec­tion of technicians and engineers. For instance, an over-estimation of one factor would probably bring about a disaster by the building of too big or too costly an under­taking; on the other hand, under-estimation also would be undesirable because vou would find yourself lacking perhaps in the volume of water required. We must have a trained technical engineering staff to carry out that sort of job in the State. The building up of such a staff is gradually being achieved although we still require good senior and executive engineers. There is a difficulty

in inducing them to leave the positions they hold at the present time. However, we have made some progress as the figures I am about to quote indicate.

On 1 July, 1947, we had no senior or execu­tive engineers but today we have six. At the same date we had seven engineers in the first grade, one in the second, and 11 in the third grade. We have restored the number to 7 in the first grade, from which it fell to 5 in 1948, and built it up to 9 in the second, where we previously had none, and to 28 in the third, in the last grade by young gradu­ates from universities in both Queensland and the other States.

In order to do the work properly surveyors and surveying staff will be required. In July, 1947, we had only 5 on this staff and it has now been built up to 14. We are now in a position to do some useful work with that team, but our objective is a staff of 16 sur­veyors and 19 assistants.

A hydrographic staff is required to carry out the work of stream-gauging and in the gathering of ancillary information. In 1947 wp had 5 on this staff whereas now we have 15, and we plan to increase it to 33.

On the boring work staff we had 6 in 1947 and at the present time we have 32, but our objective is a staff of 58.

Draftsmen are urgently needed. In 1947 we had a staff of 19 but we have built it up to 33 and hope to achieve our objective of 88.

Where we previously had a total staff of 63 technicians, engineers, surveyors, hydro­graphic workers, boring staff workers and draftsmen, we now have 144, but we intend to increase this number to 324 to step up the immediate programme that we have in mind.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: That means in 12 monthsW

Mr. FOLEY: Not necessarily so; it may take longer. It has taken us since the appoint­ment of Mr. Lang up to the present time to increase the staff to the extent I have described.

I can say also that as the staff increased so has the work increased. For instance, in 1945-46 the total expenditure disclosed in the various statements submitted to this House from time to time was £106,485, out of a total of between £600,000 and £700,000 allotted for that purpose. We have so built up the staff that last year the total expendj­ture was £627,902. Therefore, it can be seen that we are making some progress in this connection.

The actual construction work expected to be carried out in 1945-46 amounted to about £675,800. The Estimates that will be sub­mitted later in the session provide for an expenditure of about £1,000,000 for work that we have in mind.

There are many advantages to the State to be gained by irrigation. The increase in population and the increased wealth follow­ing on the application of water to the la!ld are astounding, especially when one studies what has happened in other parts of the world.

136 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

The hon. member for Hamilton gave us some insight into that in his speech yesterday. Production from irrigation in Queensland, limited though it has been up to date, shows that annually from the 921000 acres under irrigation in this State we have produced £8,000,000 worth of products, of a total agricultural production of £25,000,000. In other words, wet land or land under irrigation will produce 9 times in value that of land under dry cultivation.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: That should be an incentive to make irrigation a first priority.

Mr. FOLEY: That is so. We have gone through various phases. We have I'!.OW

reached a phase of our social life where word has been given to go ahead with irrigation and the subdivision of land to meet present demands. The present development includes sugar-cane, vegetables, fruit, tobacco, cotton, fodder, pastures and other crops. Therefore, we have proved that irrigation can be suc­cessful in this State under tropical and sub­tropical climatic conditions and that where water is available irrigation can stabilise agricultural and pastoral production. It can also check the effect on production of periodic droughts.

An important point is that owing to our limited water resources our area under irriga­tion will never be as great as the suitable land available. Ultimately Queensland may have a greater area of land under irrigation than any other State. That conclusion has been arrived at by the Commissioner of Irrigation as a result of surveys he has made of possible sites throughout the State.

A rather interesting quotation that I have emphasises the point I have been dealing with. In 1938 the late President Franklin Roosevelt of the United States of America was wise enough to appreciate the value of water applied to land. He had this to say-

' 'The day will come when every drop of water that falls will be controlled for the benefit of mankind, for the growing of forests, for the irrigation of land, for the development of power, for the prevention of soil erosion, for the ending of floods and for the improvement of navigation.''

The wisdom of those words is ,being recog­nised throughout the world today. Late though we may seem to be, we are now moving in the direction of developing our irrigation resources.

When we begin to examine the sites avail­able in Queensland we come face to face wit_h some very interesting possibilities. For instance, in the North, there are two major dam sites on the Barron and W alsh Rivers. Both of these rivers can store up tremendous quantities of water. One particularly interesting point is that the Barron dam site is 400 ft. above the one on the Walsh River. We could there­fore divert water by a 25-mile diversion canal from the Barron River to supplement the water in the Walsh River as it was required. This scheme, of which we shall hear more at a later date, will provide water for irrigating 8,000 acres of tobacco land in an area where only a few hundred acres are

being used for tobacco at present. I went through that area on one occasion. It was a sorry spectacle to see the many farms that had been abandoned. The owners had been compelled to look for work because of crop failure due to drought conditions.

J'\fr. H. B. Taylor: Is any information available as to whether the diversion of that water will affect the Barron hydro-electric scheme~

lUr. :FOLEY: It will not affect it in any way whatsoever. That point has been thoroughly investigated.

In addition to this 8,000 acres of tobacco land that could be irrigated under this scheme, 7,000 acres of other land will be available for other crops.

It is interesting to note the effect tha.t such a scheme will have on the population of that area. It is estimated that it will increase the population in the Mareeba-Dimbulah area from 4,000 to 9,000. It is estimated that local wealth production will be increased from £340,000 to £1,840,000. Commonwealth Government revenue would possibly be increased from £600,000 to £3,750,000 by way of Federal excise on tobacco alone that can be produced under the scheme. Already the many small weirs that have been bui~t in. ~his district have demonstrated the pract:tcab:thty, advantages and possibilities of tobacco­growing under irrigation,

Water from these two projects should transform the dry belt to what can be des­cribed as a veritable Garden of Eden. I have visited some of the southern irrigation settle­ments; I know Theodore very well; I watched i~ grow and progress to the .stag~ at_ which it is- today; and I am able to v:tsuahse JUSt what these two projects will mean in conjunction >Yith the many other weirs that can be con­structed on these rivers in the development of this area which can be described as an arid area toda'y.

We have also built >veirs at Emerald Creek and Granite Creek and the water that is avail­able has demonstrated what can be done. Another is under construction at Tinaroo Creek and another on the Walsh River. Those are part and parcel of the bigger scheme that will eventually be launched. The _ first stage of the Barron-Walsh Rivers scheme, the building of these weirs, should enable us to gain all the knowledge we require in connec­tion with it.

Coming further south, ~e have the Herbe~t River district where agam there are possi­bilities of underground supplies of water; and these are being investigated at the present time. We have also information as to possible weir and dam sites on that river. Where virtually the whole of the present effort is centred on the production of sugar-cane unde~ dry cultivation, with the development of irrigation one can visualise a tremendous increase in population and in the wealth produced for the State.

As one goes further south one comes to the Burdekin River area. The Burdekin project has been investigated by the

Address in Reply. [17 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 137

Co-ordinator-General and his staff, and the Irrigation Department is carrying out the first section on the area known as Clare between Home Hill and the site of the big dam. This area will be ready in the very near future to turn on the water to 10 of the 88 blocks. We shall be able to place at least 87 returned men on these 88 blocks, one being reserved for experimental purposes.

I wish to give the House some idea of what this smaJl project will mean to that district. It will mean an increase of production of tobacco and other crops from £11,000 per annum at the present time to £216,000 per annum. At present the population is only 20 but after full development of the 88 blocks it is expected that the population will increase to 1,300. From what I have said, I think hon. members can visualise the great possi­bilities to be realised by continuing and speeding up our irrigation policy. The increase in revenue consequent on the development of the Clare area, for example, would be approxi­mately £80,000 per annum and in addition at the present excise rate the Commonwealth would receive in the vicinity of £500,000 a year in excise duty alone.

lUr. Maher: You are only painting a glowing picture.

Mr. FOLEY: I am painting a picture of what these irrigation projects mean in the development of population and production.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: The whole of that project is controlled by the Commissioner of Irrigation.

lUr. FOLEY: Yes.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: Soldier settlement does not enter into it~

Mr. FOLEY: Ex-service men will be placed under what is known as the Soldier Settlement Agreement.

After the area is fully developed under irrigation it is estimated that the value of production would be at least £176,000 a year for tobacco and £40,000 annually from other crops, a total annual production of £216,000, and today the production is in the vicinity of £11,000. According to our estimate we can do that at present costs. The capital involved is greater if we take one section at a time.

(Time, on motion of Mr. Dunstan, extended.)

lUr. FOLEY: I thank the Acting Speaker and hon. members for their courtesy.

I was dealing with the costs involved. We expect that we li!hall be able in that district to settle our men there at a cost on irrigation works of approximately £35 an acre which compared with the value of irrigable land in the South, mentioned by the hon. member for Hamilton yesterday afternoon, is very good.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: What will be the terms of repayment W

Mr. FOLEY: That will be calculated. I cannot give the hon. member details at this stage.

The site of the Burdekin River dam is. approximately 99 miles from the mouth or the river and it is proposed to build a aam there 138 feet in height-above the generaP level of the stream-to store sufficient water· to irrigate 250,000 acres at the very least~ This water can be gravitated from the mail!t dam to a diversion weir that will raise the level of the water to permit of its being diverted into the main distribution canal that will be constructed while this dam is being built. Advantage is to be taken of the steep fall between the dam site and diversion weir to generate a very substantial amount of hydro-electric energy. It will also serve to modify the :floods experienced in that district annually and will mean the large scale development of pastures and fodder crops to expand the production of beef cattle and of dairying and increase the supply of prime beef to the meatworks at Townsville and Bowen, and on the tobacco lands to produce a fairly substantial quantity of leaf, and on other lands pineapples and other tropical fruits, and in some instances there is the possibility of rice production. If necessary, too, it will be possible to expand the sugar industry under irrigation conditions.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: Have you any idea of the amount of land that will be allocated to pasture and to agricultural crops~

Mr. FOLEY: No. Although we have delineated the irrigable lands and ascertained what they are capable of doing, we have not yet laid them out definitely for any specific type of crop.

The estimated cost of a project such as this is between £29,000,000 and £30,000,000. It is estimated that it will provide 5,000 farms and that the income from those farms will be in the vicinity of £5,000,000. The estimated production of 250,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy would bring in an annual revenue of £604,000. Of course, the con­struction will take a number of years, but in the meantime all necessary diversion weirs and main distributing canals could be com­pleted.

As well as the Clare project, we have the Lander 's Creek area within a few miles and this will be developed as a second stage of the Burdekin River project. The major pro­jects offer means of extensive development both pastoral, agricultural, horticultural and industrial, and may well increase the popula­tion to 30,000 or 40,000 and help reduce the seasonal unemployment of the area.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: That sounds a bit optimistic. The usual thing is one extra family to one extra irrigation farm.

Mr. FOLEY: That is the estimate of skilled irrigationists based on what is being done in other States and in other parts of the world.

With major schemes such as that of the Barron-Walsh Rivers, estimated to cost £7,000,000, the Burdekin costing a total of £30,000,000, the possibility of reviving major projects on the Dawson Valley to cost in the

138 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

vicinity of £8,000,000, and the Nogoa and Comet Rivers schemes in Central Queensland to cost between £750,000 and £1,000,000, exclusive of cost of dams we feel that some consideration from the Feileral authorities 1s warranted, that these should be looked upon as national works. I might emphasise that the Rural Reconstruction Committee on Irrigation, \Vater Conservation and Land Drainage, has recommended to the Federal Government that in view of the vital import­ance of irrigation on the future rural develop­ment of Australia, the maximum economic development of irrigation should be regarded as a national work. I feel that we can look forward tg and expect co-operation from the J<'ederal authorities in carrying out some of these major projects.

In the remaining time at my disposal I should like to refer briefly to some of the other projects-! cannot deal with them in detail. But coming further south we have the Pioneer River basin in which we have the tributaries known as Cattle, Black's and 'l'eemburra Creeks. There we have possibilities for a number of small weirs.

Then we have Molongle Creek. This is 21 miles long and enters the Pacific Ocean near Gumlu. The catchment area extends over approximately 54 miles. The average rainfall is 32 inches. Investigation is being continued as to the possibilities in that district. Hon. members can realise that all they can expect from some of the smaller projects, such as weirs on the various rivers, is partially to improve water supply and carry out little irrigation undertakings because you must have major projects if you are going to get any result at all.

We then come to the Fitzroy basin. We have been carrying on extensive boring opera­tions to determine the underground water resources of the Fitzroy and the Callide areas. We know of certain major supplies that exist in that district. For instance, there is the old Nathan Gorge site, a site that many years ago was abandoned because of faulty foundations.

l'llr. H. B. Taylor: There was no report on that.

lUr. }'OLEY: A report has been made, and there have been investigations which have been reviewed by the present Commissioner on a site adjacent to that one. There are possibilities that we might be able to submit details of a project t-o irrigate at least 70,000 acres along the Dawson Valley area.

In the Callide Valley we have some of the finest land to be found in Australia. There is an underground stream 45 miles long, from 2 to 5 miles wide, and investigations show that there is a very extensive supply of water from the free grayels to a depth of 40 to 50 feet.

Mr. Sparkes: An unlimited supply of water.

Jllr. FOLEY: That has to be determined. There is a tremendous supply over the 45-mile stretch and near where it enters the Don River area there is a natural rock

bar that retards it from being emptied com­pletely, thereby providing a reasonable level for quite a period. Investigation will prove that with the introduction of electricity from Rockhampton, a development that is not far away, we shall have a very big area rot<nd there.

At Binda Crossing on the Dawson River a timber-piled rock-filled weir with a capacity of 2 400-acre feet is to be constructed. In the 11oura area, where the first pig-breeding experiment is being conducted, surveys for the development of the land already resumed are in progress with a view to the growing of lucerne and other crops.

To the west, the Thomson and the Warrego and Alice Rivers are being investi­gated by engineers for the location of weir sites and their construction in the near future.

Coming further south, we reach the Conda­mine where extensive investigations have been made as to the underground supplies of water. Although the natural contour of the country makes conditions difficult for J;>ig­scale projects there appear to be many s1tes along that river where weirs can be con­structed to improve the position.

Then we come to the very interesting project right on the border, where I recently drove the first pile in the first weir. This scheme offers wonderful possibilities. Our engineers estimate that the major project on the Dumaresq River and the weirs associated with it will be capable of irrigating at least 30,000 acres of tobacco-land and land suitable for other crops on both sides of the river, in Queensland and New South Wales.

Jl[r. lUacdonald: What development has taken place on Kariboe Creek in the Lawgi district~

!Ir. FOLEY: We are investigating that, along with a number of other projects. There we have a fine area of pasture land but a limited supply of underground water for stock. The Irrigation Department and the farmers in the district are co-operating with the object of pumping the water approxi­mately four miles from Kariboe Creek to . a central position from which the watP.r wtll gravitate to about 20 farmers wh? have ,l,wt sufficient water at the present time. Ihe project is nearing completion but the work is held up by the lack of an adequate supply of piping.

I haYe not time at my disposal today to give details 6f all the investigations. I have had to skip quite a quantity of my notes berause of the limited time available to me but I can assure hon. members that the investigations being carried out a;e very extensive. Possibly later in the sesswn hon. members will be supplied with a map showing where the various investigations are being carried out, and fmther information will b<? available in the Commissioner's report.

In view of the programme that I have out­lined I can foresee in the next few years a subdivision of land now being used for graz­ing purposes only to meet. the d_emands of those who wish to engage m agnculture by

Address in Reply. [17 AuousT.] Address in Reply. 139

the dry-farming method. It will be found that the land will be more intensively used than it is at the moment and it will turn off more in the form of food products than it does today. Much of it will be used for the production of fodder, 'in accordance with better feeding methods than are practised now. Better grasses will be grown and fodder crops to top off cattle for Britain.

The Government have instructed Mr. Lang and myself to go full speed ahead with our irrigation policy in this State and, given the necessary experienced engineers, technicians, labour and material and co-operation from the Federal Government, I can foresee great development in the next few years. Many of the arid areas that I have described will be transformed into busy production centres, with all the amenities required to make life comfortable. Naturally, with increased popu­lation these things will be possible because it will lighten the burden on the people con­cerned. We shall then be able to provide beef and other food products so urgently required by the people of Great Britain and other countries. The increased population will serve as a greater defence for the people than we had at the outbreak of the last war and the increased wealth will help to raise the living standards of our people.

The capital cost of seven of these major projects that I have in mind will no doubt be in the vicinity of £50,000,000. It will be possible under them to irrigate half a million acres. The annual production from that area will be in the vicinity of £12,000,000, and the population will be increased by 50,000 to 70,000 people. That is visualised as a result of irrigation applied to the various projects. I feel that there will be very little lag in implementing this policy. The Government are determined to build up a staff for this work as fast as possible. Our Commissioner of Irrigation and Water Supply recently visited the southern States and got in touch with a number of people and we feel that as a result with a bit of luck we can build up an experienced staff. We can then transform many of these areas into veritable Gardens of Eden as a result of the application of water to the soil.

~Ir. PIE (Windsor) (12.16 p.m.): At the outset I desire to pay tribute to the Governor as the representative of the King. To me he is the emblem of the very democracy we stand for but the speech he made was the speech of his advisers, or the speech of an apologist for the unfulfilled promises of this so-called socialistic Government. It was a speech advocating the policy of a hypocTitical Socialist Government, a Government whose leaders advocate and believe in a policy of ''Do as I say, not do as I do.'' I am sure that the Governor, just as the King and just as every free-thinking Britisher knows, is aware that Socialism won't work. He knows that the present policy of the British social­istic Government is heading for disaster and if not blocked will disintegrate the British Empire.

No words of mine can adequately put before Parliament my opinion, particularly of the Premier himself and the Government he

leads, for they are hypocrites. For instance, here we have Socialist Ministers getting £2,250 a year together with a motor car, chauffeur and everything they want, and Socialist members of Parliament getting £1,050 a year and expenses when they go away. Socialists, Sir! You know the mean­ing of ''Socialist.'' The true meaning of ''Socialist'' is that you shall share every­thing equally. Let the Minister for Trans­port share his £2,250 plus his expenses with the poor of Toowoomba to place them on an equal basis with himself. Whatever way you may look at it, Socialism, implemented honestly and sincerely, must lead to complete State control, and totalitarianism must lead to Communism. You cannot define it other­wise. Only a hypocrite, who to my mind is the greatest sinner on earth, will deny it. Let us get away from futuristic problem~ and let us face up to the present.

I am, apart from politics, vitally interested in industry and commerce.

Mr. Power: You could not have started your business here without a Government guarantee.

lUr. PIE: You know it is rude to interject from the front bench.

The companies with which I am associated employ in industry 780 Queenslanders and in commerce another 50. I hope, now we have received from the Deputy Premier permission to build, that that number will be eventually increased to 1,000, with a payroll of a quarter of a million. But all my work goes foT nothing if I cannot get power. Power is the lifeblood of industry. Power is based upon coal, the plaything of Socialist Govern­ments of Australia. It is based upon coal, which is controlled and dominated by the Communist-controlled Miners' Federation--

:ur. Donald interjected.

1\Ir. PIE: Who in turn-and you are one of them-control the Socialist Government of Australia.

.:!Ir. DOXALD: I rise to a point of order. I take serious objection to being referred to as a Communist by the hon. member for \Vindsor, and I ask that he withdraw it unreservedly.

.:l'Ir. PIE: I did not call him a Communist.

The ACTING SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member must refer to any hon. member by his correct title.

~Ir. PIE : I will not call him a Communist, but I will call him a two-faced person.

The ACTING SPEAKER: I hope the hon. member will help me to conduct the House in a proper manner. I want to say to the hon. member that he must refer to an hon. member by his correct title. I ask him to withdraw the statement he made about the hon. member for Bremer, that he is a two­faced person.

140 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

lUr. PIE: If he is objecting to it, I withdraw it. But I will read this. You saw it on the front page of the '' Courier-Mail,'' in which he made in one breath two different statements-a case of running with the hare .and hunting with the hounds. I know that .as a result of my offer to go to the coalfields the member for Bremer was shamed into .going to the mines to address the miners­what he should have done long before. Like the Premier, he should have done it instead of breaking industry. The miners say-and he knows it-that when he addressed them they told him I shamed him into going.

Queensland, with its great natural resources of coal, should never have been affected by the last strike. If the Queens­land Socialist Government had done the proper thing-I do not blame some members on that side, knowing what they wanted to do -the State would not have been affected. I do blame the Dr. Jekylls and Mr. Hydes of this State for the industrial chaos that occurred here, compared with conditions in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. In Victoria, where they have no natural resources except the brown coal at Y allourn, industry functioned 80 per cent. In South Australia they worked night-shift every night. In Western Australia they worked fully after a fortnight. In Tasmania they worked because they have their falls. In Queensland, with all the coal we have and with the A.W.U. men hogging to go into the open-cuts (Government laughter) Queensland was brought to its knees. I say that we were sold down the line by the Premier, who plays with the Commas for political power and who believes the A.W.U. is a menace to his virtual dictatorship. (Government inter­jections.) This is serious. I had to put off 550 people for six weeks. When I put them off I addressed them and told them the reasons for putting them off. I personally felt it because I knew what my position would have been, with seven children and no pay for six weeks. I was sore, and I am still sore, to see Queensland industry brought to a standstill while my competitors in the non-socialist-controlled States were working­in Victoria 80 per cent. and South Australia all night.

It was because, as I have said, the socialistic Governments were not prepared to govern. It was because I believe in Queens­land and wanted to inspect the great coal open-cuts that I made the very exacting and educational trip to the Blair Athol and Cal­lide coalfields during the strike. After the inspection I realised fully how Queensland had been sold down the line by this Socialist Government and the Socialist Premier who controls this State. The Premier sold Blair Athol, the greatest open-cut coal mine I have seen in my life and, as one of the American engineers putting down bores for the Americans told me on the site, one of the seven wonders of the world. The Premier, as I have said, sold Blair Athol coal at one shilling, 9d., 6d., and 3d. a ton to a corpora· tion that told this Parliament through the Premier that it had unlimited capital.

Now I will trace the history of Blair Athol and, if time permits, the Callide Valley, to show how the Government have sold the Queensland workers and employers down the line, because they as the Government are not prepared to govern. A government who are not prepared to govern commit the greatest sin that can be committed by any Govern­ment. (Government interjections.) In 1945 we see the Press heading, '' Blair Athol, Mackay line to be urged.''

"Plans for building a £750,000 railway between Mackay and Blair Athol will be presented to the Transport Minister (Mr. Walsh) by the Mackay-Blair Athol Rail­way League today."

That was in ~945. What happened to thaU The hon. member for Mirani will tell you how necessary it is to open up the country back of Mackay and to get at the N ebo coal deposits. But nothing has been done.

Then in 1946 we come to-'' Delay Resented. Mackay-Blair Athol

Development. ' ' A bit later we find-

" Hanlon tells Chifiey: 'Rubbish.' " There it is for everyone to read. That is about our great open-cut coal-mine. The Premier said, "Pure rubbish," replying to a statement by the Prime Minister (Mr. Chifiey) when he threw doubts on the quality of Blair Athol coal. The Premier has never been to the field. He does not know what it looks like. He will not go there to talk to the miners. He said that he would be getting in their way. There are only four miners there because the remainder of the men are A.W.U. members working on the overburden.

Mr. Donald: That is wrong.

llir. PIE: The hon. member should go there and see for himself. The hon. member is afraid to go. (Government interjections.)

Then on 23 July, 1947, we read-'' Queensland on Eve of Big Coal Deal. "Indications are that the State Govern­

ment is on the eve of announcing the completion of an agreement with a British company for large-scale production of coal at Blair Athol.''

To use the words of the hon. member for Bundaberg, ''That is all hooey.''

And now going a bit further, in July, 1947, we find-

"Big Coal Plan Expected at Blair Athol. ''Announcement of a plan for an

English company to produce coal at Blair Athol field on a huge scale can be expected at an early date."

And then it continues; but it is all hooey.

And then a bit further, again in 1947, we find-

' 'Blair Athol Plans Heartening-Pie." Then we all thought that we were getting somewhere at least and we helped the Gov­ernment to do it. We then thought we should be getting ahead in a big way.

Address in Reply. [17 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 141

In 1946 we had this-" Big Coal Shift for Open-Cut Mines. "When State Government plans to step

up coal production by open-cut methods are in full swing 25 locomotives and 500 wagons are likely to be engaged continu­ously moving coal from Blair Athol and the Callide Valley to South Queensland."

This was announced by the former Minister for Transport, Mr. Walsh. What happened to thaU N a thing!

Then on 27 July, 1946, we read this-" Blair Athol Coal Costly to W ark."

It is the easiest thing in the world to work Blair Athol coal, as the hon. member for Bremer will tell you. All you have to do is put down a charge on the open-cut and 800 tons comes down at once. You then just scoop it. into the trucks and cart it away. The cost comes in where you screen it at the rail-head. They have 60 men employed on that when, with mechanical handling, only five would be required. That is where the east comes in.

What did the Callide coal cost the City Electric Light Company~ It cost £6 a ton delivered at the wharves and then the wharfies left 1,000 tons in the bottom because they were not prepared to handle it!

Then in 1946 we read-'' State's coal hopes in Blair Athol.''

Then on 30 August, there is another-'' You produce coal and we'll shift it.''

Then, in 1946 we have-"New railway to develop Blair Athol. ''A new railway line from Blair Athol

to Gladstone was discussed yesterday by the Prime Minister (Mr. Chifley), and the Premier (Mr. Hanlon). "

They are down there supposedly discussing the same thing today I Here is a great bit­

'' English £18,000,000 plan for Blair Athol.''

Were we not all sold a pup in this House~ Then you have-

'' Local coal needs priority in £18,000,000 Blair Athol plan."

Look at the publicity this socialistic so-called Labour Government got out of that!

Then the Premier came in, in his big way in 1947, with-

'' Shark plans to exploit State's coal. ''A group of financial sharks was trying

to exploit Queensland's coal projects."

I think the sharks got in, and I think they got the Premier.

Then in 1947 we have-" Meet Mr. Hirst."

He is the man Mr. Hanlon told that the A.W.U. would work the open-cut field, and I got that from Mr. Hirst's own lips.

Then here is the Blair Athol story. In 1947 we have-

'' A fortune for the scratching.'' ''Premier denies delay of Blair Athol

deal.''

Then, in 1949, two years later, he said-'' Government impatient over Blair

Athol.'' ']'hen t_here is another-

'' Draft prepared on Blair Athol,'' and-

'' Deal on Blair Athol is 'right.' '' Now the Premier says-

' 'Blair Athol coal port proposed.' '

Then-" Development lag at Blair Athol."

This is where Mr. Donald comes in. We now have-

'' Miners' warning on Blair Athol. " 'Neither the Commonwealth nor mine­

workers can tolerate any proposition to exclude from the provisions of the joint scheme any of the industry that Mr. Hanlon might desire,' says a report issued by the central council of the Miners' Federation on the Queensland coal deadlock. 'If Mr. Hanlon persists in his attitude he will have on his hands the most bitter industrial struggle in the State's history for the mine-workers know that their very survival is at stake. ' ' '

A resolution carried by the Central Council stated-

" That if open-cut mines were developed in Queensland the Miners' Federation would claim the right to organise all members employed and demand that they be paid the rates prescribed by the Federation's awards.''

This is the federation talking to a Govern­ment!

''The federation would not allow the entry of A:W.U. members into the industry.''

That was in 1947. I say that there is only one thing that will preserve this country and that is to get a union to work the open-cut that is not contaminated by the Com­munist influence in this country. All this talk by the Premier in 1947 about advancing Queensland is a lot of boloney.

Here is another article reading-" Blair A thol Coal No Hurt to Ipswich. "

Why be frightened of Ipswich~ Co<J,l from that area can be landed in Brisbane at £2 a ton whereas the Callide coal costs £6 a ton. It costs £6 a ton to bring it from Gladstone to the City Electric Light Company's works in Brisbane and the reason is that we have not efficient handling facilities in our river. That is the responsibility of the Government. You can land coal from the Callide cheaper in Melbourne than you can land it in our Brisbane River. The Secretary for Mines knows that. Why is it sof The answer is that the handling facilities in Victoria are up to date.

Here is another article­"Mr. Pie says-" Premier should sell our coal. "The Queensland People's Party

leader, Mr. Pie, said yesterday"-­(Government interjections.)

142 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

The ACTING SPEAKER: The hon. mem­ber for VVindsor!

Ur. PIE: Here is another statement to the effect that the Premier should go abroad. He did not want to go abroad. He went abroad and this is what we :find in 1947-

, 'Long talks in London by Mr. Hanlon.'' The conference lasted from 2.30 p.m. until 1.45 a.m. tlie following day. A few days later we :find-

'' Hitch at last minute delays signing.'' ''Long talks end this morning.''

After 10 hours' conference a hitch occurred; this was the first we heard about it. My party knew because we knew what the trouble was; as soon as we exposed it, we were called knockers. I knew from inside Government circles that the Blair Athol venture would not go ahead.

~Jr. Power interjected.

lli. PIE: I know that you are going to be the next Premier, if you have your way.

Continuing with these statements, we :find this one--

"Expect Industries at Blair Athol." VVhy, there is no water at Blair Athol and how can you run industries without a water supply~ There is water in the Calli de. That was the purpose of the question I asked the Minister this morning. You cannot generate electricity at Blair Athol because there is no vvater supply, and the generation of elec­tricity requires a lot of water. Instead of putting in power houses near Brisbane, we could generate the whole of South-East Queensland's requirements at Calli de and run the power down to our industries. That is the reason why Victoria was not brought to its knees in the recent coal dispute. There is a power-generating plant at Yallourn and instead of running the coal to Melbourne from Yallourn you generate the power on the spot and run it to industries by overhead wires. That is what should be done in the Calli de.

I have been in the mines at the Callide and I have seen an open face 50 feet deep running inland for nearly a mile. The hon. memb~r for Port Curtis was there and he saw 1t. He says that I came in the back door; I came in through Thangool. He knows that the Premier was offered transport to the Callide and refused to go there. These men ,,.-ould not go into the mine. They talk about Blair Athol but the Premier sold Blair Athol without ever seeing it. That is wrong and we have to expose the Government who do that. The Government not only gave it away but they sold Queensland's heritage, some­thing that no other nation in the world pos­sesses. I do not care what anyone says, there is no other place in the world that has coal like the Blair Athol and Callide seams. The hon. member for Port Curtis knows that. He knows that at Blair Athol there is a seam of pure coal 70 feet thick, 250,000 tons lying there uncovered waiting for the steam shovel to take it out so that it can be taken away. But industry could not function in Queens­lanlt because of the lack of coal.

Mr. Gair: What did private enterprise do about iU

Mr. PIE: I will tell the hon. gentleman all about private enterprise-and the Minister himself comes into this. He did a good job while the Premier was away, but let me read a letter on this point. I am glad that he mentioned it because I had nearly forgotten it. It comes from one of the Blair Athol people and it says-

'' Regarding the deal with the English company; we are completely in the dark. VVe were never consulted or given any information by the Government, and the whole thing was a surprise to us.

'' Adm~ttedly, our directors had lunch with Mr. Hirst on one occasion, at his request, but he was very non-committal, and we were of the opinion that the deal had not progressed sufficiently for him to have any idea of what the eventual outcome would be. The net result of this meeting was absolutely nil. The only communica­tion we ever received from the Government was in 1948. On 28 July, 1948, our chair­man wrote to the Premier asking to be advised of what progress was being made with the proposed deal, as we were con­sidering installing additional plant and did not want to spend the money if there was any likelihood of our assets being acquired at an early date. VV e received a reply from the Acting Premier, dated 14 September, 1948, which told us nothing, other than that he believed Mr. Hirst would be return­ing to this country towards the end of that year.''

That was the end of 1948, and we are nearly out of 1949. The letter goes on-

'' Since then we have not heard another word from anyone. As you have recently seen the open-cuts at Blair Athol you will realise that the actual production of the coal does not present any difficulties, these all being in the loading and transport.

''Our present loading arrangements are neither modern nor efficient, but were designed to keep our number of men employed, and handle the maximum quan­tity the railways could transport.''

That was under an agreement. The letter proceeds-

'' Under the terms of our leases we have to employ 81 men, and although we could install plant to handle much larger tonnages in a more efficient manner, we would still have to keep 81 men employed, hence the present arrangements.''

That was the agreement made by the Gov­ernment. The letter goes on-

'' \Ye have always desired to progress, and in 1947 called tenders for a new and modern loading plant to handle 2,000 tons per shift, the cost being in the vicinity of £25,000. Before we had :finalised the tenders, the story of the English company 'broke' in the papers and we were natu~­ally hesitant about spending money until we had more information about the future.''

Address in Reply. [17 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 143

They cannot get any information today-'' At the present time we are designing

additional loading plant and rearrangement of the existing plant to enable us to handle 1,500 to 2,000 tons per shift, as it appears that the Government are going to do something about improving the trans­port position.

''We would naturally want an assurance that the Government was improving the transport before committing ourselves to any large expenditure . . ' '-

That is obvious-'' but we are prepared to spend any money necessary to produce and load whatever quantity the railways are able to handle ..... ''

This is a Queensland company, not a foreign company. (Government interjections.)

Tile ACTING SPEAKER: Order!

Mr. PIE: The Acting Premier tries to get me off the track. What I meant to imply was a British company seeking foreign capital. Let t·hat be clear. (Interjections.)

The ACTING SPEAKER: Order! I should like hon. members to let the hon. member for Windsor make his speech without interruption.

Mr. PIE: The Minister for Transport has been very silent because he knows I am telling the truth. He wants to listen to this-

' 'The governing factor in the whole Blair Athol set-up is the railway transport.

"I do not want this to be taken as a criticism of the Railway Department as they have done a remarkable job in shift­ing the quantities they have done in the past six months, under extremely difficult conditions, but until the line to Emerald is improved, more locomotives and rolling stock made available, and shunting and other ·facilities at Blair Athol improved, production is definitely going to be limited to much less than that which could be attained. As regards A.W.U. labour work­ing the open cuts, my company would be quite happy to see a change of this nature, and would definitely support any move in this direction.

''I am also of the opinion that quite a number of the men at present working at Blair Athol would be agreeable to such a change, but this is a personal opinion only ..... ''

I spoke to the men about this. I said, "What about going over to the A.W.U. ~'' I want the Secretary for Mines and Immigration to realise this. They said, ' ' Yes. ' '

lUr. Moore: What right have you to make representations on behalf of the A.W.U~ Have you discussed this with Olarrie Fallon ~

Jllr. PIE: He will not discuss it with me. They said, ''But I have been a miner all

my life. I shall be reaching my retiring age very soon. I am frightened that if I go over to the A.W.U. that I will lose the pension I have built up.''

Mr. Donald: Who told you that?

l\Ir. PIE : I am telling you what the men told me, not what the secretary of the union told me. The letter continues-

'' The A.W.U. has a much better indus­trial record, and it would be to the benefit of the community generally.'' I spoke to the Minister a few days ago and

he said, ''Dog eat dog.'' I will tell you what is happening in the textile industry. For 20 years our industry in Queensland has been governed by an A.W.U. award and we never had a strike. Today we have 720 employed and they are members of the A.W.U. The Federal people are coming to Queensland and are trying to take these people over into a Federal union notwithstanding that they have been in the A.W.U. for 20 years. The Conciliation Commissioner was out at the factory the other day. I came out and he said to me, ''Mr. Pie, I have been over the best factory I have ever seen in Australia.'' Then without anything further I turned to him and the union officials present concerned in the Fc<leral application and said, ''I hope you are not going to take us away from the A. W. U. '' The Federal official said, '' Tell that to these men." I said, "Don't you disturb this industry. It has functioned for over 20 years without your control.'' The union official said to me, ''Why~ What are your reasons W'' I said, ''Look at the number of strikes you have had in the textile industry in the South for tiddly-winking things. Our people do not want to be involved in them. Furthermore, the conditions under the A.W.U. award here are far better than your award.'' I said to him also, ''If I have any argument with the A.W.U. I ring them up and they come along and we talk round the table and straighten it out. If we cannot get it straightened out we go to the court and we abide by the decision.'' The Federal crowd­and I can see their plan-do not want any State unions. They want to be able to con­trol the whole of the industrialists of Aus­tralia, and when they have a strike they will call everyone in that industry out.

An Opposition Jllember: Like the miners.

Mr. PIE: There would have been no strike in Queensland if the industry had been State-controlled because the miners did not want to strike but they had to stick to their Communist-ridden leaders in the South-a loyalty to the union that you have to regard with some degree of respect.

This business has to come to an end. Queensland is on the eve of tremendous development. I know the development that can be achieved and I know where industries can go with the support of a decent Govern­ment. If we have a Government pledged to Socialism, pledged to take over every success­ful industry that is developed and then, on the other hand, play with the capitalist and bring him out under false pretences, that is wrong, that is hypocritical, and any Govern­ment who build on that basis are building on sand and will crash. Socialism cannot mean anything. None of these men in Parliament are true Socialists. The only man I respect in this House opposed to us for

144 Questions. [ASSEMBLY.]

carrying out what he thinks is right-and I loathe his doctrine-is the hon. member for Bowen.

A Government Member: He is a fellow-traveller of yours. (Government interjec-tions.)

The ACTING SPEAKER: Order!

Mr. PIE: I am no fellow-traveller. I will fight Communism until I die. I say definitely that these so-called Socialists, unless they practice the things they preach surely are committing a mortal sin. Look at them-men brought from the bottom to the top-perfect and prosperous Socialists with chauffeurs who get 30s. overtime every time they take them out. All these men are Socialists and Socialism mearis State-control and State-control means totalitarianism. (Government interjections.)

The ACTING SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member has a right to be heard. I hope hon. members will help me to conduct the Chamber properly.

Mr. PIE: Here is a perfect cartoon in the "Courier-Mail" at the end of the strike. It contains the words, "Report to the Nation" and there is a pedestal ''For Miners Only.'' It says, ''Priority in building materials that the miners should get.'' It is not the men and women with six or seven kids, but the men who have brought the nation to its knees who are to get priority in building materials. It says-

" Peuestal (For Miners Oniy). To com­memorate the great part played by the miners in the loss to the nation of 45 million bricks, 4 million tiles, 2,750 homes.''

Who are the hypocrites in this country~ (Government interjections.) Who are the men leading the workers down the line~ None other than the Socialist Government. (Govern­ment interjections.)

(Time expired.) Debate, on motion of Mr. Larcombe,

adjourned. The House adjourned at 12.56 p.m.

Questions.