can remember two districts round Clare—Snowtown and Bute—in the mallee country, much the same as this country is here. In ten years they had their motor cars, but they had a run of good seasons. Yet they never had larger areas than we have here. They put in 400 or 500 acres. I certainly think our Government should let us have sheep, but they should only be given to those who have sheep-proof fences. I want to mention that I fallowed some country this year, and that the seed that was sent up was full of drake and mustard. The drake grew again. I pulled it up and gave it to the pigs. Sheep would clean up all that sort of stuff, and if there is nothing to eat it down it may become a pest next year.

(The witness retired.)

JOHN REGAN, Farmer, Ballidu, sworn and examined:

6237. To the CHAIRMAN: I am a farmer and have been here about seven years but had no previous farming experience. I was employed in the timber mills at Jarrahdale for about 20 years. I took up 1,500 acres of forest and about 100 acres of sandplain, and inspected the land beforehand. There was, however, no railway, and my property is now about 4½ miles from the line. I have cleared 700 acres, and have fenced 100 acres more than I have cleared. I am married and have a big family. My home is of galvanised iron and timber, with a good water supply, consisting of a well and two dams. The former is 40 feet deep and gives 2,000 gallons a day. The well is on a couple of acres of plain east of the salmon gum forest. There is a Government dam there of 2,000 yards, and mine contains 1,000 yards, and is ten feet deep, but is not covered. It has never been dry since 1914. There is 20 feet of water in the well, and neighbouring settlers were drawing 200 gallons a day out of it in 1914. I have sufficient stabling and sheds for horses and machinery, made of timber, ti-tree, and straw, and have a full set of implements, seven working horses, two cows and 40 pigs. My youngest child is 14 years of age, and is still going to school. When I came I had about £700 capital. That has not been sufficient to carry me on. I came here in 1910. My son had cleared 70 acres, but we had to cart everything from Goomalling. The first year we got nothing out of the land. In 1914 we cleared 400 acres, and got seed wheat at 6s. a bushel from the Government farm at Nangeenan. We got nothing out of that. I owe the Agricultural Bank about £700 and, at the end of 1914, the I.A.B. £420. We gave them about 4,200 bushels of wheat. There are outside liabilities still, but I reckon £200 would cover them.

6238. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have 400 acres under crop, 300 are fallow, and I have 300 acres fallowed now. I believe in fallow. In 1914 we got 15 bags off our fallow. Fallow is worth five bushels more than the other. The early wheats do best in this district. I sowed last year 15lbs. to the acre of ungraded wheat. On light land I put 70lbs. of super, and on the heavier 50lbs. The highest average yield was off 50 acres, when we got 11 bags on one occasion. The average would be about 15 bushels, and I consider that to be a fair average for the district. If I were clear and on a proper footing I reckon that five bags at 10s. would pay me very well. I do not know much about bulk handling.

6239. To Mr. PAYNTER: Last year we had rust. We had Federation wheat, which I got from Nangeenan. There were 50 acres of it. I pickle my wheat, and have never had smut. I keep a few pigs, but we do all our own work, and work all hours whenever there is anything to do, generally from daylight till after dark. No man should have less than 1,000 acres to make a living on, but one man cannot do a great deal. One of my sons put in 400 acres this year, and the same last year, and did the carting as well. I think that one should be able to do 300 acres, but a man on his own account could not of course do so much as one who has a family to help him. Co-operation among farmers might be a good thing, but you would have a job to get them to agree among themselves. I think our land laws are reasonable, but I would like to obtain five years' exemption from payment of rent. I had a lot of sons to help me, and some of them have been killed at the Dardanelles, and there is another going away now. The country is good grass country. I have plenty of water and could do well with sheep. My fallow is as green as a leaf at the present moment. It would be a great advantage if the Government would supply ewes, but they should not give them unless the settlers had water. Sheep would have to be yarded at night, as there are a few dingoes about. Anyone who had sufficient land cleared would do well with sheep, as by this means he could keep his land clean. At home we make our own butter and the cows have been milking for 18 months without feed. I do not know much about co-operation; although I lived in Jarrahdale for 30 years I never heard of co-operation down there.

6240. By the CHAIRMAN: Are you satisfied with your prospects?—I deeply regret that I did not come up here 20 years ago, but when we did come we had everything against us. We had no railway, and a succession of bad seasons. I went to Preston Valley first of all, but there are far better prospects up here.

(The witness retired.)

Mrs. CATHERINE EDITH KIMBER, Ballidu, sworn and examined:

6241. By the CHAIRMAN: Have you any suggestions to make to the Commission?—I would like to show you how our living conditions could be made better and brighter. When people come up on to the land they should be provided with a proper house to live in. Most of them live in tents or canvas houses and they have no conveniences whatever. This makes it most difficult for the women. Sufficient should be advanced to enable a comfortable home to be erected. Personally I have been here some five years and am always glad to give my neighbours some idea how to do it. Mine is a batt house, bungalow shape with a verandah all round of iron and timber. Such a house can be erected very cheaply indeed. It is cool in summer and warm in winter. This district is better off than most other districts, but still we are far from medical aid, and we have no telephone. Still, I cannot say there is distress here. A school is conducted at my own house, but undoubtedly the children should be provided with more education, and teachers should be better paid. I started an assistant school four years ago in my own dining room. My sister opened it, but later on she went away and I