fowls. My capital was only what I earned, probably £200, and I am in partnership with my brother under the title of Day Bros. I got £72 from the Agricultural Bank but nothing from the Industries Assistance Board. We are getting a harvester up now.

6370. To Mr. CLARKSON: We had 20 acres in last year and cut it for horse feed. There is another five or six tons to cut. We have cut 20 tons. I know nothing at all about bulk handling.

6371. To Mr. PAYNTER: I do not know whether or not it is a good thing for farmers to co-operate, but I think the present land laws are satisfactory; there is nothing wrong with the land, it is the want of rain that is the matter. I have no grievances whatever. I think the crop this year will go about 12 bushels. My brother and I have done everything. We have a shed for our horses and we live in a big humpy. We bought the six horses with our own money. The lot did not cost us £100. We got them cheap from men who were clearing out of the district. We have no debts except for machinery.

6372. How did you put your crop in?—We have a cultivator and two carts.

6373. By My. PAYNTER: Do you do any work around this district?—Not yet, but last year my brother helped to take crops off for neighbours.

(The witness retired)

________________

CHRISTIAN HALLMAN, Jibberding, Farmer, sworn and examined.

6374. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been six years here, but had no previous experience of farming. I was a barman in Fremantle. I took up a thousand acres 12 miles east of the railway siding. Eight hundred acres are forest, for which I paid 13s., and that price has not been reduced. I have cleared about 400 acres and it is all fenced with about five miles of fencing, partly with one wire. I have a dam 9ft. deep of 1,200 cubic yards. It has not been dry for two years and was constructed by contract at 1s. 4d. a yard. I have a set of implements, five working horses, and a pony, also some fowls. I am a single man. I have a bush stable and bush machinery shed. I was contracting when I came here and I put all I had into the land. I put £400 in straight off, which I made out of a contract ring-barking. I earned £700 and put it all into the land. I borrowed from the Agricultural Bank £337 and in addition £100 for stock. I have had no money from the Industries Assistance Board for the last two months and I do not know what I owe them. All my private creditors are included in the Industries Assistance Board debt. Probably I owe the Industries Assistance Board and the creditors together about £300 now.

6375. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have 310 acres in crop and about 60 acres were fallowed. I had no fallow in before. I sow 50lbs. of seed per acre and 45lbs. of super. Last year I had 20½ bushels per acre off 150 acres. I use a mouldboard plough with four furrows, and in the busy time I generally employ a man. I get through 4½ acres a day. I have a 15-disc drill and can do 15 acres a day with it, also a Sunshine harvester, with which I can do about seven acres a day. When I am am able to get more ground cleared and have larger machinery I shall be able to reduce my costs. Bulk handling would assist in this direction, and provision would have to be made for carrying the grain in tanks to the siding, but I have not considered the matter very largely. Nevertheless, it must be the best system because bags are so excessively dear. I do not see that all farmers' implements should come in free of duty, but I certainly think the duty should be less than it is at present, and there is no doubt that if all one's debts were funded by the Government for the period of years named for repayment by instalments a man would be able to get along well, particularly if he had the proceeds of the present crop.

6376. To Mr. PAYNTER: there has been no disease in the crops until last year when I had a little rust in my Federation, but nothing to speak of. I pickle my wheat but do not grade it. I have not tried artificial grasses or fodder crops. I keep fowls for my own use. When I employ a man I pay him 35s. a week wages and the labour generally is very satisfactory. I work not less than 10 hours a day, and I think that no man should have less than 1,000 acres, and he ought to be able to crop single-handed 300 acres. I think that co-operation amongst farmers for the purchase of supplies and the marketing of the produce would be an excellent scheme, though I must admit I have not given it much thought, but if they co-operated it surely must be to their advantage. In my own case, I consider that the price of my land is far too high. It should not be more than 8s. to 10s. an acre. Otherwise I have no fault to find with the land regulations.

6376A. By Mr. VENN: Have you any poison on your holding?—There was kite leaf and at seeding time I lost a horse from it, but that appears to be the only poison, otherwise it is good grazing country. I intend to go in for sheep, but it will take a few seasons before I am ready. There are dingoes here. My fence is 4ft. high and all that it requires is netting to prevent incursions.

6377. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you think that you will make a success of your enterprise?—I think so; provided we get another two good seasons, we shall be all on our feet. Personally I have nothing to complain of as to the situation here and I am satisfied that the future of the district will be assured, but we do not want any more 1914 droughts.

6378. My Mr. PAYNTER: Have you been able to get the high price of your land reduced?—No. I applied for another 1,200 acres adjoining, but that will only be about 3s. or 4s. an acre.

6379. Are you aware that you can appeal against the pricing of your land. You have merely to write to the Lands Department and they will go into the whole question again?—If that is so, I will do so at once.

(The witness retired)

________________

JOHN FREDERICK DAVIES, Farm Manager, Miemoon, via Wubin, sworn and examined:

6380. To the CHAIRMAN: I should like to give some evidence on behalf of Mr. D. Woodhouse, of East Fremantle, who took up the property that I am managing, which is situated 14 or 15 miles from the railway siding, some eight years ago. Personally, however, I have only been here three months, so my local knowledge is not very extensive. The property consists of between 5,000 and 6,000 acres and 60