The Prime Minister-There; can be no doubt of the power of the Commonwealth Parliament to establish a Department of Agriculture. The provisions of section 51, sub-section (iii) with respect to bounties on the exports of goods necessarily imply the power of establishing such a department.

The power may also be regarded as incidental to the powers in respect to trade and commerce, quarantine, and for the matter of that, also statistics, patents for inventions etc.

With regard to the scope of such a department two precautions need to be observed: one-not to invade the area already sufficiently occupied by the State or to encroach upon its appropriate sphere of action and the other-to be careful not to duplicate what is already being sufficiently well done by the State.

Subject to these obvious limitations it appears to me that the scope of such a department might usefully-in some instances necessarily-extend to enquiries and administration in connection with bounties, scientific and experimental action including experimental farms, educational work including the establishment of museums, laboratories etc., the protection and assistance of primary industries, the collection and dissemination of agricultural intelligence and statistics and generally everything fairly appertaining to the promotion of so vitally important* national interests as those connected with the development of agriculture and kindred pursuits.

[Vol. 4, p. 493]