During the remainder of the evening, the only speeches of
any note were an angry one from Mr. Chaplin which did the Government no good, and a speech from one of the Sub-Com- missioners under the Land Act, Mr. Mahoney, who stated that in 1882 they had not anticipated the great fall of prices which had since taken place. According to him, wheat had not fallen in price nearly as much as butter, beef, mutton, and stock. Butter, he said, had fallen 20 per cent. ; beef, 18 per cent. ; mutton, 19 per cent. ; milch cows, 181 per cent.; two-year-old stock, 42 per cent.; and yearling stock, 22 per cent. ; while wheat had only fallen 13 per cent. Are these figures accurate ; and have not some of these prices recovered during the present year