taken up the idea of co-operation. I expect that as the result of this movement we shall soon be able to offset the money previously paid for imports. We are putting a small factory in at Denmark. There are plenty of places in the country where they might have a small place as a beginning for either butter or bacon. A small unit of £1,000 for a co-operative place would be sufficient to start with. I have here the plan of the new Busselton factory, to cost £3,500. It is built on a foundation of 16 years' pioneering in the district by the local people. We have taken it over this last year. Similar places at Northam and Bunbury are being provided, which goes to show that the movement is growing. The capacity of this place at Busselton is 10 tons per week. The buildings are to cost £1,500, and the plant and appurtenances £1,600. Then of course there are roads, fencing, and other improvements, making up the total of £3,500.

10278. By Mr. PAYNTER: Do the plans now in the Public Works Department make provision for poultry and eggs?—Yes, that is generally cold storage work. The building is from 60 to 70 feet long, and the rooms are 20 feet wide and from eight to 10 feet high. These have no rails for hanging carcases, they are for general bulk work and are all interchangeable. Any existing cold store could handle that as general work.

10279. By Mr. CLARKSON: What provision are you making in regard to cold storage for fruit?—If the big project at North Fremantle is confirmed as proposed it will be able to handle anything up to 25,000 cases in one filling, so that in a season anything up to 100,000 cases may pass through it. The longest period for cold storage for the local market is from April to October, that is the common experience, and for export you may hold for a few days up to a few weeks. But the grading, marking, and inspecting can go on at the export depot. Sometimes a ship shuts out a quantity. Of course that could not go back to the country; that is where cold storage comes in. Since we started the growers on cold storage in 1906-7, the business has grown in every direction, and the cold storage in Perth in no longer adequate or as up to date as I would like to see it. This year probably 150,000 cases have gone East to the Eastern cold stores. They are holding it there for a rise in the market. Our growers by holding it here might do a lot better, but of course they must quit to get the cash. If we had cold storage at any of the four principle seaports, it would be good for growers if they had sufficient funds to enable them to wait for a rise in the market. That is the difficulty, they often have to quit. I have seen an agent but fruit from a grower in September for 14s., hold it for six weeks and get 26s. for it. Of course occasionally the reverse takes place; the agent might buy at a good figure and sell at a loss. But all good sound well-coloured fruit will always bring its price, and only the first grade fruit should be stored.

10280. Have you anything further of interest to tell us?—There is the work of the saleyards for a year. The saleyards this year handled 27,868 cattle, 255,722 sheep and lambs, and 25,247 pigs. In the light of what you know from the statistical register of the increase of flocks, these figures give an idea of what exchange takes place in the metropolitan market. Out of the stock in the State this is what was killed in the metropolitan abattoirs at Midland Junction and Fremantle: 24,364 cattle, 213 calves, 206,650 sheep and lambs, and 9,338 pigs. There is a good number of pigs and calves coming in from the farmers. The number of calves slaughtered you will find from the returns of the Central Board of Health. They brand these at various depots. You can get those figures or I can send them to you.

10281. I presume we can get from them approximately the total number of calves slaughtered in the State during the last 12 months?—Yes, better than from any other source I know of. We have at Kalgoorlie an abattoir which has been running for the last seven years. The whole of the meat from the Goldfields is dressed and prepared there, but there is an influx of calves and pigs and sundry carcases from various points of which the Central Board keep an exact tally.

10282. By Mr. VENN: We have received complaints in regard to the condition of the saleyards, not sufficient water supplied and no shade. Has anything been done to improve those conditions?—The saleyards Improvements are progressive and continuous. We spent over £1,200 at the Midland yards last year, and some hundreds at Fremantle. We have paved about four acres with sleepers at Midland, and put in 500 or 600 feet of troughing. The provision of shade was hung up by the Minister through lack of funds, but it is on the records, and it will come as soon as funds are available. Regarding the water trouble, animals used to watering in their own pastures will sooner perish than touch saleyards water. I have put men on at North Fremantle to watch sheep for 24 hours after leaving the train ; those animals would not look at the water perhaps under 24 hours. The great difficulty is that the agents have not the time when they come in to put them into a yard to water, and they cannot take the time before they take them out to go for a long journey. We have at Midland the best of water, Mundaring water, but saleyards conditions should be understood to be very rough on the animal. In a saleyards's trough the dogs on a hot day wallow in the water. Now the dog is the hereditary enemy of these animals, and the animals will not drink water after the dog has been in it. We have had discussions with the trade and with the S.P.C.A., but it must be realised that there is a tremendous difference between the ideal, the theoretical and the practical. Animals dragged from their native pastures are not too keen on anything inside a saleyard. Just at sundown on one occasion we had two troughs filled at North Fremantle. Sheep coming in off a ship tackled that water, probably because it was just at the time of day when they would be looking for a drink wherever they might have been. However, the conditions of the saleyard permit of only certain mean being attained. Beyond that all things are visionary. We take every precaution to keep down cruelty to animals. I myself would very much like to see the shading provided. It is only a question of funds and of time. We want shading and shelter in the interests not only of the animals, but of the pelts, which get wet, and so occasion a good deal of extra work. The improvements at the saleyards are never finished, they must go on continuously.

10283. By Mr. CLARKSON: Have you made any estimated in regard to the increase of stock in the State with a view to anticipating the