mediate market, or whether it would be advisable to store it. It has to be remembered that each time fruit is handled, and particularly stone fruit, it deteriorates. If the fruit could be put straight into the cool store and drawn therefrom as required, the chances are it would realise a good deal more. If it is intended to find a site for both retail and wholesale, then, from my observations and experience, I should say the Government site at West Perth would be best.

10000. Are you familiar with the system of private treaty as practised in the other States?—I have practised it myself. For fruit of a standard quality, private treaty is very much better. Take for instance, the careful grower and packer, who sends in 100 cases of fruit. There is no reason why some of those cases should fetch 10s. and some of them only 5s. That kind of thing has happened, when there has been absolutely no difference in the quality of the fruit. That is where the auction system is bad. As soon as we reach the point of producing a little more than we require, or even when we have reached our requirements, then the auction system is of no value. Only on the bare market does the auction system give the grower any kind of result. To-day apples may be 8s. and to-morrow 5s., while on the next day they may be up to 9s. and then on the fourth day back to 4s. Under the private treaty system I can sell certain unreliable growers' lines before they arrive. With regard to railway transport, we have so far very little to complain about. Occasionally, a truck forming part of a South-West train is diverted at Armadale and sent to the market via Fremantle. That may cause a little delay, but otherwise there are no difficulties. In connection with the Christmas trade, we handled the second largest quantity of fruit that came into Perth and we experienced no difficulty whatever with the Railway Department.

10001. Is the cool storage provided in Perth at the present time sufficient for existing demands?—No. This year was an abnormal one, and the cool stores could not carry all the fruit, or they were not able to carry it as it should be carried. There is no provision in the cool stores for special lines. Different fruits require different methods of handling and storing. For instance, pears will not go in with peaches or plums. Apples and pears do not go very well together, because the pears require a lower temperature than apples, and pears give off a gas which is detrimental to other fruits. Then care has to be taken in the packing ,and it must be seen that damaged fruit is not put into cases. Some growers pack so that there will not be any bad fruit at all during the season; others again pick up fallen fruit which apparently has not any blemish and put it in with the other fruit. The faults, however, soon come out in cool storage.

10002. By. Mr. PAYNTER: Do you think the drying of fruit would overcome the glut?—It would be of great help, seeing the gluts we have had. I do not think there is any reason to doubt that there would be a good market for dried fruit. If we can give a good sample of fruit, it will sell well. I know because I am a grower as well as a seller.

10003. By Mr. VENN: Would bruised fruit be suitable for drying?—No. It would be better, of course, for the grower to dry the fruit himself. For instance, apples would be worth on the orchard, for drying, about ½d. per lb. Apricots and peaches would be worth about double. With regard to prunes, I have grown some and dried them this year. What I dried would have realised ordinarily in the markets 30s or 35s., and the same quantity actually returned me £3. There was a little trouble in drying them. I dipped them and then left them in the sun to dry. Afterwards I dressed them with boiling water with salt in it. There are other methods of dressing, but I am only telling you what I did. I have seen dried fruits in this State which have been superior to the imported articles, and there never has been any difficulty in selling at a satisfactory price. My idea is to dry and pulp. I do not see how we are going to overcome the difficulty by making jam owing to the strong competition which we would be up against. Moreover, we have not all the required fruits for making jam. For instance, we have not the berry fruits. Then there is the labour difficulty, and sugar, and also tins. I do not see how we could successfully compete against outside manufacturers. Our people will do very much better to turn their attention to drying and pulping. Moreover, in connection with the manufacture of jam, considerable capital is involved, whereas practically nothing is required to embark upon the drying of fruit.

10004. By Mr. CLARKSON: Has there there been any attempt to pulp here?—Reichardt & Allen, I believe, did so; they shipped their pulp to London and did very well out of it. They are out of business now; the Associated Fruitgrowers are really their successors.

10005. Under what terms do you sell to the producer?—The commission charges are 5 per cent. on fruit, with a minimum of 2d. per case; on small vegetables 7½ per cent., and anything over half a ton 5 per cent.

10006. By Mr. PANYTER: Do you favour the use of second-hand fruit cases?—I see no reason why they should not be used provided they are fumigated. It is a sin to destroy so many second-hand cases. During the whole of my experience as a grower and handler of fruit I have never known a case to carry the fruit-fly. I challenge anyone to put fly-infected fruit in a case and afterwards remove the fruit and allow the case to stand for 24 hours and then find any trace of the fly in the case. The maggot always finds the earth as soon as it can. But the fumigation process would remove all danger. The department make too much for the fruit-fly scare. I went thoroughly into the fumigation question and found that it would easily be possible for a fumigator to be erected and for second-hand cases to be fumigated and resold at a cost of ½d. additional to cover the cost of treating. There would be no danger whatever then. Thousands of cases are destroyed daily unnecessarily. These cases are made of jarrah and karri.

10007. In refilling, what would be the percentage of useless cases?—It would be very small; it would not amount to more than two or three per cent. If we knew that we were going to use them again we would take more care of them when handling. The saving would be considerable. It would be, I should think, 50 per cent. on the cost of the cases. I fought this matter out with the department and I suggested that they should go in for fumigation of cases and then stamp them, and that when the case came into the market the stamp could be obliterated in the same way as is done with stamps on casks. Then