tion would be advantageous, especially if carried out upon the methods adopted in England. I am referring particularly to the Manchester Co-operative Society.

6277. Where farms are so far apart and farmers isolated, could that system be successfully applied here?—I think it could in this way: if there was a central business house in Perth, but it would never answer to have it in a small township. I consider that the price of the land is too high and the payments, in any case, should be deferred over lengthened periods. Actually a man requires at least four years before he can get a proper start. In the first two years he can do little and the greatest difficulty is water. We put down no less than 72 bores and then got salt water; but the country is suitable for dam making. If the land were given free for five years, settlers could get along successfully.

6278. To Mr VENN: We have no livestock, and only portions of the land in this district are capable of carrying sheep until it is cleared. There is too much poison on the sand plain, such as heart leaf, York road, and one or two others. We have about 400 acres of it. There is heart leaf on 300 of those and 100 acres of the other poisons. I do not think the sand plain country here will be any good for sheep, but the forest country has good grass after it has been cleared and it is particularly good after a fire has been through it. But until then it is impossible to get grass to grow. Even after ringing it does not thrive because there is an undergrowth which prevents its growth, Dairy cattle so well in the spring if the ground is well cleared first. There is then abundance of grass for five months. After that they would have to be fed.

6279. By the CHAIRMAN: What are your school facilities?—Within five miles of my place there is a school, but there is no medical attendance locally. Still we have the privilege of using the railway telephone in cases of emergency. As regards the doctor, we should have the same system here as upon the goldfields, where the children are regularly examined for diphtheria and their eyes. Many of the children here seem to fail in their eyesight, more so the elder ones. Our nearest doctor is at Goomalling.

6280. Do you think you will be able to make your farm a payable concern?—Under the circumstances in which we are working at the present time, it would be almost impossible, at least until we get clear of the I.A.B., for the reason that when they advance money to us they charge us 6 per cent. and we are also paying 10 per cent. on the amounts owing to the merchants, so that we are currently paying 16 per cents. on everything the farmer uses at the present time.

6281. Your statement is incorrect. You are paying only one interest not two, and the average actually would be about 8 per cent.?—Supposing we get £12 a month for our keep, the board charges 6 per cent. and we have bills due in addition to the merchants since last February. the amounts collected from the wheat have paid one of these charges. We shall be owing the Government £90, and when the 6d. advance comes forward it should clear that off. What will be done with what is over? Will it be passed over to us during the current year?

6282. No doubt the Board will be able to tell you that. I should think it would go in reduction of last year's debts?—If we write to Mr Paterson he very seldom answers our letters.

6283. Have you seen anything of the officers of the Department of Agriculture or obtained their advice as to the best methods you should pursue?—No.

                     (The witness retired.)

GEORGE WILKIN STUBBS, sworn and examined:

6284. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been settled in this district for five years, and had previous experience in England, but not in Australia. I was butchering before I took up land. I have 1,000 acres, 700 of which is forest. It is situated 5½ miles from Nugadong siding. I have 420 acres cleared. The whole is ring fenced and subdivided. My water supply is a dam of 800 cubic yards, eight feet deep. It is not covered. It cannot, however, be called a permanent supply. I have sunk 12 bores, but struck salt water in them all. They are heavily charged with magnesia. I am a married man with no family except a married daughter. My house is of iron. I have a barn for my wheat and a big bush shed for implements, which are in addition all covered with bagging. I have a farming plant and an oil engine on order which has been passed by the inspector. I have four draught horses, a pony, a cow and 22 pigs. I only had £200 capital. The Agricultural Bank advanced me £650. They did not find me any horses. I never received money from the I.A.B. except the store account after the 1913-14 drought which upset the apple cart.

6285. Last year's wheat paid off the I.A.B. I owed them only £60, but they have not paid the merchants. The merchants' account amount to £340. The average rainfall, while I have been here, including the bad year, would be over 10 inches. This year we have had 12.50 so that over the whole period the average would be nearly 13 inches. I have never had any assistance or advice from departmental experts as to the best method to adopt.

6286. By Mr CLARKSON: How much crop have you in?—I have 350 acres; 80 acres are fallow. I had no fallow previously, although I believe in it thoroughly, and have seen the results in other parts of the district. There is no comparison at all between fallowed and unfallowed land. I believe in sowing half yearly and half late wheats, Federation and Gluyas, but if you have all of the latter it is likely to go down in my experience. I have seen it do so in heavy morel country. Of Gluyas last year I sowed about 36lbs. to the acre, and this year about 48. The 36 was too thin for my ground. Last year I do not think I put in more than 30lbs. of super to the acre, but this year I have made it 65lbs. to 70lbs. The heavier dressing is best for that class of land. I have only had two crops and the yield in 1914 was 14 bushels. I cleared part of the 300 acres of sand plain amounting to about 70 acres. The average yield for the district should be more than 14 bushels under normal conditions. I estimate that it would take three bags to the acre to pay the cost of putting in and taking off, and undoubtedly bulk handling would reduce costs all round. I would personally cart my grain in two 400-gallon tanks placed on a wagon.

6287. Are you of the opinion that farmers' implements should come in free?—I do not say that at all, because it is obvious that we must have revenue and