ft they prized far more than
money or tobacco. The next evening I held a meeting at the station, and
resumed my journey up the river the day following. Travelling was now
easy, the road being good, with plenty of grass and water for my horses.
Meeting one's constituents in a western electorate is not a short,
pleasant picnic.

A rather serious crisis arose during the early part of this session
(1890). McIlwraith introduced a measure to levy a tax on all wool
exported over the border to New South Wales and South Australia.

The intention of the bill was to divert the trade of southern and
south-western Queensland to the Queensland Railways. The pastoralists of
those districts obtained supplies, and sent their wool from and to the
southern Colonies, where the rates were lower than those charged over
the Queensland lines.

McIlwraith's argument was that Queensland was heavily taxed for the
construction and maintenance of these lines; that this Colony was also
incurring excessive expenditure for administrative purposes, and if the
pastoralists would not give Queensland the necessary revenue towards
these services, it should be forced from them.

The bill provoked heated arguments from McIlwraith's supporters. The
Opposition looked on with some interest, anticipating a Government
defeat. The bill passed its second reading by the casting vote of the
Speaker. I voted with the Government. McIlwraith promptly tendered his
resignation, but was induced by Sir Henry Norman, the then Governor, to
reconsider this. McIlwraith said he would reintroduce the bill in
committee, and make the recalcitrant members swallow it. He did
reintroduce it, those previously against it voted for it, and it was
carried by a majority. Those members who were compelled to stultify
themselves did not forgive the Premier, and showed their resentment when
the opportunity arose.

The money collected by the tax was utilised in improving the main roads
to the railway, and when I was in that district some years afterwards I
saw these cleared two chains wide through the affected districts.

CHAPTER XIV.

In 1889, the Morehead Government had put on the Estimates L1,000,000 for
unspecified railways. This the Opposition, led by Sir Samuel Griffith,
strongly opposed. The sitting developed into a stonewall of 96 hours'
duration. The Government withdrew the item at 10 p.m. on a Saturday
night. Previous to its introduction, I had paired for the session w