was not referred to it in any way?—I do not think it was.

6948. Is that possible?—Yes.

6949. I say it was almost impossible. Evidence has also been given to the effect that advice has been tendered to the Scheme's officers or the Board that all weevily wheat should be gristed and sent to the mills prior to the handling of a new harvest; in other words, That you should take into the mills sufficient wheat to carry them on during the time you are handling the new harvest?—That is what should be aimed at.

6950. Can you get the required quantity of wheat into the mills during that time?—We aim at getting as much as possible of the present weevily wheat on hand into the mills. On account of the storage capacity of some of the mills it may be difficult to get as much into them as will last them for the whole of the time during which the new season's wheat is being handled, that is, the wheat from the siding to the depot. It is our intention to get as much wheat in as possible.

6951. Will it be possible to get in sufficient to prevent the weevily wheat coming into contact in any with the sound wheat?— I do not think it is possible.

6952. By Mr. HARRISON: You evidently do not think that the storage capacity of the mills is sufficient, even if that accommodation is fully availed of , to give them enough wheat to last until the harvest is all received at the depot?—That depends on the size of the coming harvest.

6953. And also on the capacity of the railways to deal with it?—I think between now and December we could fill up all the storage capacity of the mills.

6954. By the CHAIRMAN: Have the Board decided what will be done with the balance of the wheat not required by British authorities?—That will depend on the advice received from the Imperial authorities. Mr. Love, the British Commissioner in Melbourne, is urging all the states to grist full time, and to continue doing so. He realises that as being one of the quickest factors for dealing with the weevil trouble. The British authorities do not actually want our wheat. The idea is that the British Government should buy the wheat not necessarily as a war necessity, but to assist the dominions.

6955. You think they might be charitable?—We have been patriotic, and so might they be.

6956. Is there much more British Government wheat in the State?—We have practically supplied the full order. I will produce tomorrow the arrangements made by Mr. Love in connection with the wheat and flour.

6957. Do you not work in conjunction with the Wheat Board so far as British Government wheat is concerned?—Only in this way, that the Australian Wheat Board tell us what our quota of the Imperial order, and we have to supply that quota. Whether it is to be in wheat or in flour, or whatever arrangement may be made in connection with the wheat stacks which might be in existence on the 31st December, depends on the arrangements we make by direct negotiation with Mr. Love.

6958. Then, if you so desired, you could sell your flour to Great Britain if New South Wales did not sell hers?—So far as our quota is concerned, yes, we can deliver it either as flour or as wheat.

6959. What amount of wheat have you now in hand to supply your quota?—I cannot tell off-hand, because it varies from time to time, as we grist some of the Imperial wheat into flour. That alters the quantity of wheat we shall give the Imperial Government, to the extent of the corresponding amount of flour that we shall give them.

6960. Have you stacked any flour in the new shed in North Fremantle yet?—None just yet.

6961. Any arrangement for the disposal of wheat or flour over and above your quota, that is for overseas shipment, has to be settled by the Wheat Board?—Yes.

6962. You have been present at board meetings when the silos were discussed?—Meetings of the present advisory board?

6963. Meeting any any advisory board?—That is just the point. Meetings of the Wheat Marketing Advisory Board, yes; but meetings of the special advisory committee appointed by the Government to deal with the question of bulk storage and bulk handling, no.

6964. But the two are the one board now?—True; but the most important part was done before the Bill was submitted to Parliament last year, and that part was done by a committee consisting of Mr. Dean Hammond, Mr. Sutton, and Mr. Pearse, at the meetings of which committee I was not present.

6965. I believe the idea of the Scheme officers is to build silos for the purpose of curing our wheat of weevil?—That is a suggestion which has been put before the present advisory board, that weevil can be handled in silos.

6966. Mr. Pearse is your principal adviser here?—I should say Mr. Sutton is.

6967. Who do you think has the greatest knowledge so far as silos are concerned?—Mr. Pearse who spent three months in Melbourne and was tutored by Professor Lefroy and also by the representative of Metcalf & Co., or Mr. Sutton, or Mr. Carter of Metcalf & Co.,so far as weevil is concerned? —Is this from the engineering point of view or from the efficiency point of view?

6968. From the efficiency point of view?—I should say, Mr. Carter.

6969. Mr. Carter was asked by the South Australian Royal Commission whether wheat should be re-conditioned before being put into a silo, and he answered—

I think so. What the man in the street does not realise is that a silo is not a cure-all for weevil or anything else. It is a method of keeping good grain absolutely sound and sweet?—That is so. I do not think the silo cures weevil.

6970. Mr. Carter also stated that he did not think the silos should be advocated as a method of treatment?—I think that is different advice from that he gave Mr. Sutton. But Mr. Sutton will be able to answer on that particular point.

6971. Do you agree that Mr.Carter should have some knowledge of the subject?—Yes. He has been right through it in America, and knows all the views there, and he ought to know something about Australian conditions by now.

6972. He said that on account of the cold climate there was very little weevil in the United States and Canada?—That applies to Canada, but not, for instance, to California.

6973. Have the advisory board been made aware that in order to protect wheat to be stacked in a silo against weevil it is necessary take the wheat through a drier, as is done in America?—I do not remember that point ever coming before the present board.

6974. I suppose the board have been told, the same as we have been told, that all that is necessary is to take the wheat out at the bottom and put it on top?—We have been told that the wheat has to be re-handled, but an extra bin would be required for that.

6975. You agree with that too, do you?— That is what has been told to me.

6976. When your board discussed this subject and asked the Minister to go on with the proposal, was there any important evidence before your board?—I do not know that any further evidence was brought forward.

6977. Did your board have any further evidence at all?—I do not know what was in the minds of Mr. Sutton and Mr. Pearse, who are members of this board and who were also members of the other board.

6978. This was the advice of the Board that passed the resolution asking the Minister to go on with the Scheme although Parliament had thrown out the Bill?—The board were trying to find some method of getting bulk storage.

6979. By Mr HARRISON: Is it not a fact that at the time the Bill was before the Upper House, prior to the appointment of this Royal Commission, that one silo only at each of the various country centres was sufficient?—Sufficient for what?

6980. The idea was to erect a silo at the port, of 1½ million bushels capacity?—That was the terminal elevator, and then there were to be bins at the various country sidings, of a capacity not exceeding 40,000 bushels.

6981. Was it the intention to have more than one bin at each of these centres?—At some of the sidings, yes. I do not know that it was the intention to have more than one bin at every siding.

6982. Do you know whether it was provided that there should be a spare bin of the size of the other bins for the purpose of aeration?—I do not know that.