CHARLES EDWARD HYDE, Farmer, Hyde Park, Dalwallinu, sworn and examined:

6320. To the CHAIRMAN: I came here nearly seven years ago and have been all my life farming in Victoria and 45 years ago was farming at Balaklava in South Australia. I left Victoria to come here and took up land deliberately from what I had heard about the State. We saw the land when it was thrown open and the grass was knee high on it. I had seven sons and land was too dear in Victoria, so we sold out what we had and came over here. We have nearly 9,000 acres. The biggest half of that is forest, but the balance will grow crops. I have no poor sandplain, and I have had from one to seven bags to the acre off some of it. I prefer good land, however. The Government charged £1 2s 6d. for 4,000 acres. That price has since been reduced, on one block from 22s. 6d. to 13s. 5d., another from 22s. to 12s., another from 21s. 5d. to 15s. 6d., another from 20s. to 19s., and this last should have been reduced lower than the rest. Those blocks would average about 14s. per acre. We have cleared close upon 3,000 acres; 4,300 acres are fenced. Our water supply consists of dams, one is 1,500 cubic yards, another 2,000 cubic yards, one of 600 yards, and one of 1,200 cubic yard. I am making another one now of 2,000 yards. They are all full of water, one 12ft. and one 13ft. in depth. We let two dams by contract at 1s. 3d. a yard. We did the other two ourselves. I cannot tell you exactly what it cost us, but probably one-fourth of what we paid the contractor. For similar work in Victoria I use to pay 5d. and 6d. a yard. One of my dams is covered. I have a full set of farming implements and buildings and a comfortable house of five rooms made of iron, but lined and papered inside. I have a full farming plant, 24 draught horses, about 40 horses altogether, 16 head of cattle, no pigs, and 300 fowls. I have only one child of school going age and he is at school in Perth. Four of my other sons have gone to the Front, which makes it awkward for me this year. The want of good labour is our trouble. Our carting distance to the railway is about 1¾ miles. We have had money from the Agricultural Bank and I have found it to be a good institution to do business with. I went to the I.A.B. in the first year, but I got clear of them last year. We were promised a railway in two years but when it did come it made a difference. I have 1,680 acres in crop; 175 acres is fallow. I believe in fallow and never did anything else in Victoria. Here it seems to have been a failure as every year our worst crop is on fallow, because the ground is too strong for the rainfall. This year I have 175 acres of forest country on fallow. The crop looked splendid up to September, but owing to the dry weather it went off. We have ploughed all our ground and others who never had a plough got better crops than we could get on fallow. That is not encouraging, but our idea was to get 4,000 acres cleared and to fallow and put in 2,000 acres. I only grow three kinds of wheat, and Gluyas is the best yielder. Nothing seems to affect it, but it is weak straw and there is trouble in harvesting it. It goes down. Federation is our principal crop and I have grown it since it was introduced. Here it does not do so well and is flaggy. However, when the ground is older it will be all right. I sow 45lbs. per acre and 50lbs. of super on forest land and 100lbs. of super on the light ground. Up to that we only put a quarter of cwt. My highest yield was last year—17 bushels, 10,500 bags. It was over the average last year. There was a lot of poor wheat owing to the rust. I have not had to employ labour until this year. However, it would take two bags to the acre to pay expenses and perhaps a little more now. Big machinery, big teams, and good men make all the difference. It costs one man 30s. per acre and another man 15s. Two bags will pay us. I have a five-furrow mouldboard plough, and ten and twelve disc ploughs. On the mouldboard we use six horses. A fair day's work would be nine acres. We use a 30-tine cultivator, and a fair day would be 30 acres. We have five horses on those, and do 20 acres a day with 16-disc drills. We also have two 8ft. and two 6ft. Sunshine harvesters. With the 8ft. 14 acres a day would be about average.

6321. By Mr. CLARKSON: I hold that there is too wide a use of small machinery. Where a man is putting in 200 acres he could, with a larger plant, put in equally well 400 acres?—I agree with that entirely. I do not know very much about the system of bulk handling, but no doubt it would be an advantage if it could be carried out in the manner described in the newspapers. Farming plant should come in duty free, and also bags.

6322. To Mr. PAYNTER: Last year we had red rust and a little blight. I pickle but do not grade my wheat. However, I put it through a winnower. I have not tried raising any fodder crops or artificial grasses so far, nor have I paid any attention to poultry farming. The eggs that we do not eat we put down. I believe we have about 3,000 eggs put down at the present moment. For labour I pay £2 a week and keep. I cannot say that the class of labour is not satisfactory, although I have to teach them everything. Last week I went to Perth to try to secure men. I engaged two; one of them got off the train at Northam and I have no seen him ever since. Every farmer should have at least 1,000 acres of land; that is what each of our family has got, although we all live in one place. I know men here who put in and take off 500 acres single-handed. One of them did 520 acres this year, and has 600 or 700 bags stripped. Two men certainly ought to be able to do 500 acres. If a man was by himself he would want help to sew bags. One man put in 400 acres for me himself, but with a proper team any man should easily do 300 acres. I am not much of a believer in the idea of co-operation amongst farmers, but the present land laws and terms are easy enough, provided the land is good and that a man has a certain amount of money. Even with the bank behind them very few get through unless they have had something to start with or unless they were lucky enough to get a good crop in the first year.

6323. To Mr. VENN: Eventually I shall go in for sheep when my country is sufficiently cleared. We have plenty of water now. I should have had some sheep before, only that things were just middling this year, and sheep were dear, but I shall have them next year. I do not think there are any dingoes about here. I never heard of any. As far as dairying is concerned, I do not know any district that has better possibilities. In fact, if there was a butter factory here I think it would justify its existence. Last year I had three cows milking, and was making 30 lbs. of butter a week on the natural grasses. There is no better district than this for grass, but there is poison on most of the scrub land; that is why I have been a bit shy about sheep. We have had horses there. I do not know very much