Failure was the dry season. Then last year's crop was knocked down by a hail storm, them we lost all our sheep with poison which the thunderstorm brought up on the fallowed land.

6445. By Mr. CLARKSON: What have been your average crops?— The fist year, In 1912. We had nine bushels from 79 acres. In 1913 we had 150 acres which averaged 12 bushels. In 1914 we had 250 from which we got nothing at all, knocked down by hail stones, and we got nothing at all from that. This year our 400 acres looks like anything from three to four bags to the acre. At this distance it takes 12 bushels per acre to pay the cost of putting in and taking off. By contract it cost 1s. 3d. a bag to cart it. That makes it about 5d. a bushel dearer than a man by a siding would pay. Yet we are paying the same price for the good land as he is owing to the high cost of bags bulk handling should reduce working costs, and the farmer could have a wagon specially constructed to convey his grain. We use an eight disc plough with the largest possible machinery we could improve matters, but of course it would take a proportionately greater number of horses. A man on wages with an eight disc plough and eight horses can do better work than a man with 10 disc and a greater number of horses.

6446. Is it your intention to take up other land?— Yes ; but this time it will be nearer a siding. The land laws are liberal enough to encourage us to take up land again, about not 12 miles away. Land so situated is worth only 5s. an acre to a man compared with 10s. an acre at a siding. There is too much lost time. I am not disheartened, but our difficulties arose from having to buy the property from the original holder. It is impossible for us to keep stock owing to the poison. I have lost a lot of sheep from this cause. There is breelya or kite leaf. a narrow leaf poison plant, and after burning the stubble it invariably comes up again.

                     THE WITNESS RETIRED

WALTER HENRY TAYLOR, Farmer. Latham, sworn and examined

6447. To the CHAIRMAN: I came here over seven years ago. Then I took up 3,560 acres ; but I now hold 2,000 acres, having given up the balance at the instance of the Agricultural Bank. There are 1,800 acres of forest land which costs 10s., and I am 13 miles east of the railway.

6447A. By Mr . CLARKSON: What was the class of land you had to abandon?—It was mostly scrub land, but a portion of it was forest, and there was no poison on it.

6448.To the CHAIRMAN: I cleared over 300 acres, and I have 750 fenced. The water supply is one well which is brackish, but plentiful. I get water for my horses at the Government well at the rabbit fence half a mile away. I am a widower, My wife died seven weeks ago. My house is batts and galvanised iron, and is valued by the Agricultural Bank At £150 . It contains six rooms. I cannot say what the labour cost; actually it is not completed yet. I have a larger galvanised shed for the horses, but no shelter for machinery. For my four children there are no means of education at all except home tuition, and they are ignorant for their age unfortunately. I have all the necessary farming implements, but need a cultivating plough, I have four working horses. My sister-in-law has one of the working horses. I have also a cow and calf, four pigs, and a quantity of poultry. When I came here I had £700 capital. Previously I had been a surveyor and estate agent. At one time I was farming in the old country for a few years. I have been assisted by the Agricultural Bank to the extent of £472 and also by the Industries Assistance Board, but I have seen no account from them as yet. They have paid my rents which they should not have done. The last statement they sent me showed me in debt £460, but since then they have received a further dividend for my wheat of probably £50.

6449. To Mr . CLARKSON: I have 310 acres in crop and 75 acres of a neighbour who has gone to the war. Some portion of it was fallowed and that shows up better than the other. The early wheats are best in normal seasons here. My highest average yield was four bags which I consider to be a fair average for the district.

6450. How many bags are necessary to pay expenses before providing anything for yourself?—That depends upon the labour employed. Personally, I have had none since I have been here, but I should think it would take about 10 bushels without allowing anything for one's self. I use a four-furrow mould board plough at present and am trying to get a disc cultivating plough with eight discs.

6451. Do you think if you had a six- furrow mould board instead of four, that your costs would be decreased?— Yes, and bulk handling would also reduce costs. One would need fewer bags and could empty them at the siding and take them back for a fresh load. Personally I do not think the tariff makes very much difference to us, although we have to pay the tariff, nevertheless we get more for our produce.

6452. To Mr . PAYNTER: Last year we had a trifling attack of septoria and red rust. Later on a thunderstorm settled the lot. I pickle my wheat, but do not grade it. I have not tried fodder crops or artificial grasses, but vegetables do all right provided there is plenty of water available. Fruit-trees I have not experimented with. I find pigs very profitable and I hand-feed them. Poultry do very well indeed, but the difficulty has been to consign the eggs while fresh. I work eight hours a day. A man should hold 2,000 acres in order to make a living. Farming by himself he should crop 300 acres with a little help at harvest time. I am no believer in farmers co-operating for the purchase of supplies and sale of produce as you can never bring them together. The land laws are satisfactory if subjected to due consideration by the officials, but the regulations are inequitable. Recently for instance, they reduced the price of land in this district, but while a man one and a half miles from a siding paid 17s. an acre was reduced to 10s., the man 13 miles away, as I am myself, was not reduced at all. I took my hand up before survey at 10s. an acre and am still paying 10s. Therefore, my land should not be worth more than 5s. in comparison with the other, I should not have taken the land up there until the line that was promised came within one and a half miles of the property. I was absolutely the first settler in this district, and until the line came we had to cart everything from Coorow.

6453. To Mr . CLARKSON: If the Government were to fund my liabilities and spread the repayments over a term of years, I could carry on if I had the