dear, I say emphatically, yes. Farming machinery is too dear altogether, due to the distributing agents getting so much profit out of it.. They have had to put their charges on to it for the reason that they give almost unlimited credit and in this way the good man have had to pay for the bad man. But as a farmer it would be only natural for me to say, " Yes, take off the duties from our implements" I think that funding the farmer's liabilities and giving him a period to pay them of would be an excellent scheme. If the I.A B. allowed me sufficient money to carry me through this year out of my present crop and would extend the payment for the balance of five years, I could carry on comfortably myself, always provided that we do not have more droughts. I would prefer to work under such a system than as at present.

6221. To Mr. PAYNTER: My highest yield in any one years was 18 bushels, but my average on the whole has been under four bushels. This year I am looking for 11 or 12 bushels yield. Last year my crops suffered from dry blight. I pickle my wheat and grade it. I have not grown any fodder or artificial grasses, but I have a fine show of fruit- trees, the best in the district. They are six years old, peaches. I also keep Pigs, but I do not find them much good. I had them for five years, but, still, I have made mistakes with them, and those mistakes I have rectified . I pasture them when crops are off. It is too far from market to raise eggs as a side line.

6222. What rate of wages do you pay?—Two pounds a week and keep. But the class of labour has not been satisfactory since the war started, as all the good man have gone, and if I were not able to take charge of my machines myself I could not get along at all. The present men do not seem to be able to handle a binder. The hours of working are from about 7 a.m. to 5 in winter and summer until 6 or after. To make a living in this district a man should not hold less than 1,000 acres.

6223. What is the maximum area that a man working under the best methods could handle with a little assistance at harvest time?—There are two answers to that question. I think a man on his own, where he is working under so many inconveniences, could not do more then 200 acres satisfactory. On a well improved farm he should do 300 acres with a little extra help, but the inconveniences involve a great deal of extra work every way that you turn. If it could be done, co-operation for the purchase of supplies on the sales of produce would be an advantage, but the farming community is a difficult one to organise and there is such a mixture of opinions amongst them. I think the present land laws are all right with a few exceptions. There could be alterations made for the benefit of the new man starting out to farm which would encourage more settlement. One is railway faculties. The land is so distant that you cannot grow wheat alone for a profit, but that can be counteracted by giving a man his land free of charge or at a nominal rental until he had the railway facilities.

6224. What induced you to take up land so far away?—We thought we were going to get the railway closer. Otherwise I would not be here today. At the time it was rumoured that the railway line to Mullewa was going to Yalgoo. We thought it was. The line would probably be Farther east. Of this line to-day, the original survey was seven miles further west than now. Agitation got it shifted to where it is, but unfortunately it leaves me 14 miles away. It is better for a man to wait for a railway if he has to wait five years. As far as the Government policy is concerned, of having the feeder lines 25 miles apart, that seems to me to be wrong. You cannot get a contractor to entertain a longer trip than 10 miles, which is one trip per day, or else pay an exorbitant price for cartage. Last year is cost 1s. 6d. a bag. It could not be done for less. Four miles nearer it cost 1s., but that meant four trips a week in the one case as against six in the other. When you are paying wages or doing work yourself you cannot work more than 14 hours a day.

6225. To Mr . CLARKSON: You cannot tell exactly what your expenses of putting in and taking off a crop are under the Industries Assistance Board?— I have been in it for two years and have never yet obtained a proper statement, but I have worked it out in my own way and consider that it costs about 30s. an acre.

6226. To Mr . VENN: I intend to go in for sheep, but I must 1,200 acres cleared first. I have 950 now. I have a little light country that I can handle myself. Then I shall be able to crop 400 acres, have 400 of fallow, and should be able to run 400 sheep. I have also to contend with dogs. If you go in for sheep in this country it is very foolish to run them on sand plain altogether. It is far better to grow extra hay and hand feed them. It is unsafe to leave sheep out unless you yard them every night. If the Government were to supply us with ewes on easy terms it would be very helpful indeed. Sheep are one of our mainstays. If I could run 400 ewes they and their increase would pull me through. I might not have quite sufficient to pay expenses, but at the same time I would not be retrogressing. Although the years1911 and 1914 were dry years, and bad for wheat, they would have been all right for stock. Within a radius of 20 miles from here the crops all came up, and there was plenty of feed, but the heads were stunted. That is one of the things that would overcome the drought difficulty. If Farmers got into that position the droughts would not be felt. The district is safe enough. The whole difficulty is this: our methods are wrong and capital is not sufficient. I keep cows, and they do well, but it is very easy to overload yourself and so compel you to cart water, and carting water stops you from getting on with your work.

6228.The farmers do not appear to be providing themselves with enough water for a start?—It is easy to criticise our actions. I spent about £80 in boring, and I got salt water. Where the homestead is there are 300 acres of granite country, and everyone says you could get water there. But I got none for my £80. I sunk a well 40 feet deep, and timbered it. The water was good stock water at the first, but afterwards it went salt. It would cost £140 to make a good dam, but I did not know that until afterwards. You have to learn by experience in this district.

6229. By the CHAIRMAN: Have you any suggestion to make for the betterment of settlement here?—There is one Improvement we require, a telephone. We are so far away from the doctor, and we never know when a serious accident might take place