I rise to make a few comments upon the speeches made upon the Second Reading of this Bill. On that occasion I said the farmers and the cattle trade welcomed this Bill. Exception was taken to that statement by farmer Senators such as Senator Dillon and Senator Miss Browne. At least that was the impression they gave me. I maintain, however, that my interpretation of that Bill was correct, and that the statement I made meant that we welcomed the Bill in the same way as a person condemned to execution would welcome a reprieve, even though that reprieve meant penal servitude. I maintain I was interpreting the feeling of the farmers more correctly in that than Senator Miss Browne and Senator Dillon in their speeches. Senator Honan said that the imposition of duties and the economic war made money for the farmers, and that they were gaining money by the economic war. He said that we were paying £5,000,000 to England before the economic war which meant an imposition of £6 19s. 10d. per head on the cattle we exported, and consequently it was better to retain that £5,000,000; and that since that we are only paying on an average £3 the farmers were making £4 a head since the economic war. Senator Honan forgot that the farmers to-day have lost over £7,000,000 in special duties. Where did that come from? More than 95 per cent. of it was paid directly by the farmers. Still Senator Honan, in his simplicity, stands up and tells the Seanad that the farmers are making £4 per head by the arrangements under the coal-cattle pact. That statement was made at one time by more responsible persons than Senator Honan, but they have since finished with that sort of thing. All that kind of talk has since been exploded; still we find Senator Honan using it.
Senator Foran always delights to have a cheap jibe at the farmers. He said that in the time of the late Government statements were made of the same sort, and that judging from the speeches of some people one would think that this country had been a sort of El Dorado for farmers. We never claimed that this country, or any other country, was an El Dorado for farmers. They have many burdens to carry that the Senator does not see. He started a cheap jibe, on one occasion, when I was making a plea for some compensation for the exporters of live stock that were slaughtered at British ports. He said we ought to have a flag day for the farmers. He thought that a very good joke and worthy of being repeated. Senators ought to realise their responsibilities. It is a shame and a disgrace for responsible representatives in this House to indulge in these cheap jokes. These cheap jibes are levelled at farmers in the cattle trade at a time when they are in such desperate plight.
Senator MacEllin said he honestly believed that all the penal duties are really paid by the British purchasers. Senator MacEllin forgets that all our exports are sold in the British market against world competition. I remind him of what every common sense man knows—that supply and demand regulate the price. Since the coal-cattle pact we get nothing more for our beef and that shows that the restriction of supplies has nothing to do with it and that the farmers of this country are paying every shilling of the duties.
I was surprised at the speech made by the Minister for Lands who was in charge of this Bill on the last occasion. We were hoping that he would give some indication that we were approaching some sort of a settlement, and that farmers would be relieved of these terrible tariffs that we have to pay. The Minister said definitely that while the present Government was in power there was no hope of settling this on any but one consideration. He said if the political end was brought in they would have to find another Government to settle it, and that that would leave the farmers in an impossible position.
