is 10s., but is the quality the same?—Yes, practically. We should have five years' exemption because we are struggling here under extraordinary conditions. A man does not take up land in the Old Country of course, but has his market practically on his land and his holding is either a losing or a paying concern from the first moment. He has no Government assistance and stands entirely on his own; but here, in this country, we are pioneering and should have every consideration. In my own case in the Old Country, I had 30 acres of crop and eight cows, and I made money out of the proposition. The reason I came out here was that they took acre by acre of my land for building purposes, and I decided to go somewhere where they did not crowd me in and so I came to Western Australia. Mr. Ballantyne asked me to say he considered that any land that is charged more than 5s. an acre for beyond a day's journey from the line is a distinct over-charge. What he means is that land outside the 10 mile radius should be reduced to 5s.

6636. You said you did not expect more than eight working hours a day from your employee. What time do you put in yourself?—I always do a great deal more than that, but I do not think that in a climate like this, a man should be expected to work more than four hours at a continual stretch and there should be only two stretches a day.

6637. To Mr. VENN: There is a lot of natural grass in this country which would be very much improved when rung. I would like to draw attention to the fact that when I was in England we were deluged with Government literature from this State, and the point was emphasised that drought was unknown and that one had only to tickle the soil when crops would grow and flourish, but, of course, that better results would be obtained by the best methods. The inference was that one had only to come out here and battle for a few years and one would be a made man. When I got out here I talked farming with everybody that I could, and one of the remarks that constantly used to surprise me was, "Everything will be all right if you get a good season," but your literature assured us positively that droughts were unknown. I had a little money which I invested in horses. The Agricultural Bank at the time promised to advance £100 for horses as soon as 150 acres were cleared. The horses that I bought were a failure.

6638. Do you think if the Industries Assistance Board were to fund your liabilities and give you 10 years to repay them in that you could carry on?—No, not unless I had at least a year's grace and had 500 acres cleared and could put half of that in fallow next year. I might mention that I wrote to the Minister with regard to the matter of wheat carting and he promised to relieve us of various disabilities by reason of our remote situation. I asked him to relieve us of any cost in excess of 9d. per ton per mile, but the reply I got was that while in full sympathy with us, there was no money with which to meet our wishes. Before we could get sheep here we would have to have a loan for dog-proof netting, and we cannot farm successfully without sheep.

(The witness retired.)

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ROBERT WINGATE WALKER, Farmer, Wokaha, Mullewa, sworn and examined:

6639. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been here five years but was farming for 30 years in Queensland. I hold 1,996 acres. I have 1,000 acres of good land between the two blocks and the balance toe-rag stuff and salt. One block of 400 acres is no good for anything. The salt bush is not the real thing. I was charged 12s. for about 500 acres and 5s. for 495 acres, and I have two and a-half miles of cartage to the railway. I inspected it before I took it up. I have 350 acres cleared. It is all sheep-proof fenced. My water supply is good. There is a well and a dam and the well water is particularly good. I am a married man with a family, but my two children cannot attend school as it is 12 miles away. The nearest doctor is at Geraldton. I have an iron house with stable and a shed which has been erected for machinery. I have a set of implements but only two horses which I got from the Agricultural Bank. I have also two cows. I came on to the land with £780 but I got no assistance for three years. I was advanced £200 for clearing and about £360 for the ring-fencing. I do not owe much to the I.A.B. because I have been living on my own money. I should think I do not owe them more than £100. The bad season stiffened me out.

6640. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have then 285 acres of crop, and my highest yield was a little over 12 bushels last year. I think I had about the same three years ago. This year it will go about six bushels, but it takes nine bushels to make everything all right.

6641. To Mr. PAYNTER: Last year I was clear of rust. Four years ago I had some. I did not pickle the wheat that year but have done so ever since. I have a vegetable garden and a few fruit trees. I keep pigs for my own use and poultry. I work about 13 hours a day and I have a nephew who works with me. A man should have an area of at least 2,000 acres here to enable him to raise a few sheep. With a little help, say, for three months in the year a man should be able to do 450 acres himself. He should have 200 in fallow and 200 out, and 200 in crop is possible. I think the principle of co-operation would be a good thing to apply, but I have never given the matter much thought; but I had considered that the land here is excessively dear. At one time I could have got forest land at Atherton in Queensland for 5s. an acre, but I refused to touch it. To-day it is worth £8 an acre. However, I was led to believe that W.A. was God's own country. I was farming in the Old Country at the time, but I got the wheat fever and came here and struck a succession of dry seasons. A fair value of the land might be 5s. an acre. I have 200 sheep now but they are starving. I got 100 head two years ago, and I have 200 now. I am paying 11s. for one of my blocks and five shilling for the remainder, but the price is ridiculously high and there are 400 acres of it quite useless. I wrote to the Lands Department about the rent two years ago but I have not got a reply.

(The witness retired.)

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DANIEL CREAM, Mullewa, sworn and examined:

6642. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been in this district on and off for 20 years and I hold 1,200 acres. One hundred and twenty-seven acres have been resumed by the Government for water purposes. It is situated two miles from the siding. I have been farming altogether about six years. I selected 2,000 acres of first class land at 10s. and 800 acres of second class land at 6s. 6d. and 7s. I have 650 acres cleared