Dear Sir—On behalf of our Society we beg leave to submit our Rules and Proposed Agreement for your consideration. A Scale of Wages is also presented, which it was thought necessary to draw up in order to place all master millers on the same footing respecting wages. In support of the agreement submitted we may state that over 90 per cent, of Victorian millowners are working their mills under the same agreement that we now place before you; while in New South Wales the principal millowners employ only Society men, and have agreed to introduce the Eight Hours system with the New Year; and we may also state that at the present time there are two mills working on the eight hours system in New Zealand. We trust you will not think we are approaching you in anything like a dictatorial manner, in submitting our rules and proposed agreement, and should anything contained therein meet with your disapproval, we feel assured that you will be quite willing to meet and discuss the matter with us in a friendly spirit, in order that an amicable settlement may be arrived at.

Hoping for some indication of your action with respect to what we have placed before you, at your earliest convenience,