the Wyndham season. Then that space could probably be converted, as you know the meat season is nearly over when the lambing season would start. Then, fortunately as soon as the lambing season vanishes towards the end of February, we look forward to the fruit, and then between all those there is a possibility of us having to import the usual or unusual quantity of butter or frozen meat, or any other necessity from the East. But there is always a little in the cold store. That is an outline of what has been the aim of the department for the past 10 years, and it is assuming practical shape. I saw the plans last week, and certain points which I raised are receiving attention. For instance, in all the cold stores in the East and elsewhere they have overlooked in a great measure the advent of the new motor vehicle. I discussed with the Works Department the idea of having good swinging room for the new motor vehicles which have taken the place of the horse vehicles, and also to some extent of the rail.

10267. Do I understand you correctly to say that in addition to what was required for local consumption, the present facilities at North Fremantle enable you to handle 1,500 lambs per day for an export trade?—I mean abattoirs only. There is no cold storage. If the necessity arose, the work done at North Fremantle could be distributed amongst the existing abattoirs without hardship on any, and the abattoirs could be thrown aside for the export lamb work, if necessary.

10268. You could handle 10,000 a week for export?—Yes, with slight modifications.

10269. By Mr. VENN: Could overseas boats come in there?—Yes, we are on the best side of the harbour. That is one of the principle reasons why we settled there. We are in shelter, and then for the export of meat we must have depth of vessels of heavy draught.

10270. By Mr. PAYNTER: What provision is there for freezing?—Yes yet it is only on paper. The cold storage deport, the plans of which are in the hands of the Public Works Department, will make provision for general work, lambs, fruit, and chilled meat from Wyndham.

10271. By Mr. CLARKSON: Can you tell us what amount of freezing accommodation there is in the State at the present time?—I can tell you approximately. At Albany there is 30,000 cubic feet, at Fremantle 20,000 cubic feet, at the Western Ice Company's works, and at Bunbury nil. The Western Ice Company's works did all the work in connection with the previous lamb export 10 years ago. The Perth cold stores are unsuitable. They should be written off as obsolete. For export work, you would need to touch at Albany, Bunbury, Fremantle, and Geraldton for lambs. These places should have small depots.

10272. What quantity of lambs or sheep could you handle at the present time for export if the supply were available?—If conveniences were provided at Albany at a cost of £2,000, we would be able to handle 500 to 600 a day. We provided for that. Mr. Dickson at Albany was the moving spirit, and he got a lot of data as to the possible supplies of fruit and lambs for three or four years ahead, but very little of his proposition has materialised. We have had a heavy battle there. The Government spent £18,000, and we have not at any time received more than £1,500 or £1,600 in revenue. It has not paid interest and sinking fund, but of course it has been solely confined to fruit, and a little bit of ice. There is hope for the district, however, as everything is growing. This is the position; Albany at the present time could freeze, if necessary, 3,000 lambs for export every week, but you would want another £2,000 spent on improvements to the abattoirs to make the scheme complete.

10273. At Fremantle you have sufficient abattoirs killing accommodation to handle 9,000 a week. What amount do you estimate it would take to supply freezing there for what you can kill at the present time?—Assuming you had 10,000 per week, and you got a ship once a month, room would have to be made there for 40,000 minimum. That would require a cold store approximately of 80,000 cubic feet net capacity. In normal times that store would run into a cost of £25,000 to £30,000, but at the present time it would be double that. This is a very unfortunate time to establish anything which costs money like a cold storage business. The unit before the Public Works people now is much more costly and elaborate than the one I have shown you.

10274. Then the position works out this way, that if it became an immediate necessity to provide for an export trade by the expenditure of say £50,000 at Fremantle and £2,000 at Albany, you would be in the position to handle 50,000 lambs a month—Say, between 30,000 and 50,000 a month. A striking feature of the lamb business is, as you know, a comparatively small percentage of first grade quality to the great mass. Lambs for export cannot be too good.

10275. Have you had previous experience in handling stuff for export?—Yes, all my life after apprenticeship was spent in this work in Queensland with the Queensland Meat Export and Agency Company. We handled beef, mutton, bacon, butter, poultry, preserved meat, all the trade fats, margerine extracts, fertilisers, the whole thing. We made our own casks and boxes, and bought the calico and jute for our bags and made them I have been all through that plant from engineer in charge of the watch to chief engineer, running the whole plant for seven years before I came to Western Australia. I travelled through all Australia and New Zealand for the company, studying methods, labour conditions, equipment, plant, costing, everything pertaining to the industry.

10276. Is it, in your opinion, essential to the best conditions of the article exported in the way of meat that it should be killed and frozen at the port?—That is now established in the experience of every company. Both the killing and the freezing must be as near the ship's side as possible. Small fragile things like lambs cannot be killed too near the ship's side. They perish in the train and in the yard; they deteriorate by exposure to the air whether before or after freezing; they must be quickly transported to the ship's chamber and thence to the market.

10277. Have you any other information regarding this particular subject which we have not asked you for?—You all know the work that is being done in regard to the butter and bacon business, the way it has been stimulated during the past twelve months by the high price of stuff, and how the people of Bunbury, Busselton, Northam, and elswhere have