51 
accordingly be placed and regarded as 
entirely outside the sphere of political 
influence and its recommendations con- 
sidered as’scientific and unbiased. 
8. In connection with the proposals 
which follow, we suggest that it would 
ve greatly to the advantage of the 
commercial and manufacturing pro- 
sperity of Australia if there wereadded 
to the present activities of the Council 
for Scientific and Industrial Research 
the sphere of work which deals with 
the standardization and simplification 
f manufacturing processes. 
9. We thus obtain three bodies: — 
The Development and Migration 
Commission; 
The Council for Scientific and 
Industrial Research (with 
‘unctions amplified as suggested in 
para. 8); and 
An Economic Service; 
responsible to one Commonwealth 
Vlinister, and we suggest that they 
hould be brought together in one 
Committee with the Minister as chair- 
nan and the heads of the three bodies 
13 members. In order to obtain 
sroper co-ordination of their activities, 
ve would recommend that there should 
e a vice-chairman, who would not be 
equired to give any great part of his 
ime, and who might be content to 
erve without remuneration, but who 
vould keep in closer touch with the 
letails of the work than the Minister 
vould be able to do. It will not be 
:asy to obtain such a vice-chairman. 
He must have a scientific mind, a wide 
tnowledge of the conditions of the 
ountry, and a clear and unprejudiced 
riew of economics, but in spite of the 
lifficulty of personnel we suggest that 
he linking together of these three ser- 
rices under one Minister and an in- 
‘ormed and effective vice-chairman 
would lead to the best co-ordinated 
results. 
BE. Taz Pasroran INDUSTRY. 
1. It is not the purpose of this note 
to offer any comprehensive or detailed 
dbservations upon the pastoral in- 
dustry generally. The main facts re- 
garding it are too well known and its 
importance is too generally recognized 
for any such task to be necessary. It 
is intended only to call attention to 
one or two points in connection with 
it which seem to be of special interest 
50 our Mission. 
2. In the first place we have been 
struck by the figures given in the 
sable printed on page 6 of the very 
able Report, dated 30th August, 1927, 
of the Queensland Land Settlement 
Advisory Board, comparing the cost 
of running a sheep grazing property, 
described as ‘“a carefully managed 
nolding in the Hughenden district,” 
of shearing sheep and of realizing wool 
‘or the year 1911 with the correspond- 
‘ng cost for the year 1925. The Re- 
port states that these figures may be 
taken as universally applicable to 
holdings of similar carrying capacity in 
North Queensland. They show a cost 
increased by 7.04d., a price increased 
by 6.55d., and consequently a net 
~oturn decreased bv 49d. per 1b. of 
wool in the latter as compared with 
the earlier year. 
3. The comment of the Land Ad- 
yisory Board is worth quoting in 
full; — 
‘“ These figures show that the 
costs of production are becoming 
very high and the margin of profit 
left to the grazier for his wool is 
small. In 1911 the profit from 
wool on this property was 38 per 
sent. of gross returns; in 1925. 
before the drought, this profit had, 
by climbing costs of production, 
seen reduced to 18 per cent. Thus 
many graziers are left to depend 
m their annual sales of sheep for 
their main profit. So long as 
shere is a local, market for surplus 
sheep the position is safe. But if 
surplus sheep could not be sold the 
industry would be faced with 
another crisis.” 
1. If the position here indicated ob- 
ains generally elsewhere in Australia 
han in North Queensland—and we 
1ave no reason to think thatit doesnot, 
though we do not overlook the fact 
shat the yield of wool per sheep has 
tended to improve in recent vears—