8357. You do not think that because someone has rubbed shoulders with Professor Lefroy he becomes an expert so far as weevil is concerned?—There is a good deal more in it than that. South Australia has formed a weevil committee. There is no such thing here. I may have had a communication from Mr. Keys to say that there was a man coming in with some weevil cure but I have never been consulted in committee by the scheme officials. Of course I am not making any grievance. 8358. By Mr. BROWN : Have you a copy of the report and specifications you sent to the department?—I have a copy of the specifications, but not of the plan. I do not know why it is they have taken so long to say whether it is good, bad, or indifferent. 8359. Did they acknowledge the receipt of your specifications and plans?—No. I do not know that the Works Department got them. I sent them on to my immediate chief, Mr. George Wickens, who is in charge of the fruit industries, and he minuted both to the Commissioner of the wheat belt. 8360. By the CHAIRMAN : The position then is that we have an insect which is destroying wheat and fruit, and is likely to attack the harvests shortly to be garnered, and no attempt whatever has been made to destroy this pest?—Practically none, except gristing, and the re-conditioning which is being done at Fremantle. 8361. It would take a long time to recondition 12 million bushels?—I do not know what quantity of weevilly wheat there is. 8362. Practically all our stacks are infested ?—I think so. 8363. Apparently the Scheme does not think this worth much consideration. If on an urgent matter like this seven weeks are allowed to elapse, it shows carelessness somewhere?—I prefer not answer that. 8364. At all events, you have done everything asked of you?—Yes, immediately following on the conference I put in a scheme. 8365. By Hon. J. F. ALLEN : You have pointed to the urgent necessity that something should be done?—I did that long before. 8366. By the CHAIRMAN : It is not generally known that the fruit is being attacked as well?—No. 8367. Has Mr. Wickens taken that up?—Yes. 8368. By Mr. HARRISON : The area of operations of these insects will be unlimited unless the trucks are treated?—Yes. A weevilly truck might go into a perfectly clean district and infest that district. Every time a weevilly truck is bumped in the course of shunting, weevils drop from it. The weevilly truck is the greatest menace of all. 8369. By Mr BROWN: In the absence of any loose grain to feed upon, would the weevils bumped off a railway truck die?—they may live for many weeks, unless killed by intense heat or by special treatment. 8370. Without sustenance it must perish eventually?—Yes. 8371. Is it on wheat or oats only that it can live?—No; it can live on fruit, and turnips, but cannot reproduce in those circumstances. 8372. By Mr HARRISON: Would it live on grass seeds and other minute seeds?—It could not propagate on them but it might do so on wild oats. 8373. there are no seeds in the bush on which it could live?—Not that I know of. 8374. Could it live on the pea family?—No. Of course there is the pea weevil, but we are not considering that insect. Rice, maize, wheat, and oats and particularly barley ate the five primary products in which the rice weevil will reproduce itself. 8375. By the CHAIRMAN : You have looked over this report from South Australia?—Yes, but I have not had time to digest it. It contains some excellent information. It is there pointed out that we have to start with the farmer, and he has to start with clean bags, clean machines, and clean sites in his own paddocks. Then the Scheme has to take up the rest. Directly the grain is delivered tot the railways the Scheme is responsible for weevil. I cannot understand why wheat bags are not branded, seeing that every other package has to be branded. If we were to brand bags with the name of the grower and the date of the wheat, we should have control of unscrupulous farmers who put weevilly and old season's wheat in with clean new wheat. As it is, we have no protection against that man unless the sampler happens to detect old wheat. One bag of weevilly wheat will serve to infest a whole stack. 8376. By Mr HARRISON : The whole of the good work would be rendered void by contaminated trucks?—Yes. 8377. Branding is an expensive process?—Other products have to carry it. Fruit cases are all stencilled to prevent a man sending fruit fly stuff into a clean district. 8378. By the CHAIRMAN : Weevilly wheat has been sent in to the Lefroy stack at Geraldton. Do you think the only way to prevent that is by branding the bags?—It is an effective way. The cost of stencilling wheat bags would be a mere bagatelle in comparison with the ruining of a new stack. 8379. By Mr HARRISON : But the work would have to be done all round otherwise it would be null and void?—Exactly. If the railways do their bit, and the farmers to not, the work will be useless. 8380. By the CHAIRMAN : Recently we received a letter from Perenjori stating that bags delivered there were covered with weevil?—There you are. Many farmers empty out their seed wheat and use the bags, notwithstanding that the seed wheat has weevil in it, because it has been kept in the stable. 8381. By Mr HARRISON : Seeing that result you 8382. 8383. 8384. 8385. 8386. 8387. 8388. 8389. 8390. 8391. 8392. 8393.