HORACE B BEET, Farmer, Ardingly Siding, sworn and examined:

6649. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been here for five years, and had 20 years' farming experience in England previously. I hold 900 acres, of which 40 are second class, 20 third class, and the balance first class. The price was 21s., but we have not heard what it has been reduced to under the repricing scheme. I put in an application for reduction and the office made a mistake, which they admitted. Since then I have heard no more about it, although I saw Mr Conway at the time and he agreed that a mistake had been made. Then I received a letter the other day that the rent would remain the same because I was under the I.A.B. I have 370 acres cleared and one block of 700 acres fenced and subdivided into four paddocks. We have a Government well adjacent, but it is not fresh water. I have no water supply of my own, but I have a pipe laid on to the Government well. The domestic supply has to be carted. We contributed £20 towards putting a windmill up. I am a married man with two children; one of them is in camp at the present time. I have an iron house, no stabling, and a rough machinery shed. I have a set of implements, four working horses and two other horses, but no sheep, cattle, or pigs., I had £200 cash when I took up the land, and the Agricultural Bank assisted me to the extent of £450, and I have also had assistance from the I.A.B., but we cannot get any information from them. I have sent them 800 bags last year, but have had no word from them since. It is therefore hard to say what we actually owe, but I cannot be heavily in debt with them.

6650. To Mr CLARKSON: I have 270 acres under crop; 50 was fallow. It was ploughed in July and August, and I cultivated it three times. It is Federation wheat. It was a bad season for Federation, and it looks just about the same as the other part of the crop. I have had a good deal of experience with fallow, and I fallowed the first crop; that was a failure in 1914. The highest yield I have had was last year, 12 bushels. The crop this year will go about 9 bushels, and it will cost this year £2 an acre before any profit is made for myself. Bulk handling is a sound proposition, and it should have been in operation long since. I consider that farmers' implements should come in free, or that there should be free trade within the Empire and the preferential tariff among other nations.

6651. To Mr PAYNETER: I have had no disease, but only pests. The first year after fallow the hoppers came along, but there was no rust or septoria. I pickle the wheat but do not grade it, nor does the Government grade theirs, because they sent us up radishes among the seed and all the new land is smothered in it. I have tried artificial grasses, but the twenty-eights took it. fruit-trees do not do well here on account of the white ants. I have not gone in for pig raising, and only keep poultry for our own use. I have not paid away any wages yet, but I work some days 15 and 16 hours myself. If a man had the capital he certainly should not have less than 2,000 acres of land in this district, but he would have to stock it. If he had eight horses and good machinery he ought to cultivate 400 acres yearly. If he had four horses, one plough, and one cultivator, he ought to do 250 acres. I am not very greatly in favour of co-operation. I like the open market both in London and elsewhere. I think the present land laws and regulations are far behind the times. We are afflicted with bad seasons and pests, but of course the Government has no control over them, but they could help us to guard against bad seasons, and there is only one way to do that and that is by good farming and fallowing. What the farmer needs is security of tenure. We have none in this country. We have practically no land laws. If a man has a bad season and has no crop to sell he still owes his rent and the Government can chuck him out. is such a man going to farm 200 acres on fallow? if the farmer cannot pay his rent he should be put through the court, but he should not be thrown out.

6652. Do you know of any case where the settler who has done his best has been thrown out by the Government?—We settlers do not want to be on sufferance here. That is not a nice position to be in. We want to be independent, and the Minister should consider the insecurity of our tenure, and a man ought not to be liable to be ejected for non-payment of rent. That system does not obtain in other countries but it can be done here.

6653. You are stressing an imaginary condition of affairs that does not actually exist?—They can distrain on you for the amount.

6654. By Mr VENN: The Government have security only over the rent, not over a man's effects?—But they can make you forfeit your land. The CHAIRMAN: The Government has the power but does not exercise it, therefore the witness is labouring the case. The custom is the same all over Australia.

6655. During your career as a settler, have you been assisted by Government expert advice as to the methods to fallow and the best seed to sow, and so on?—Not personally, but experts have visited the district.—Mr Sutton once, I believe, and also Mr Connor. I consider that the stock question should receive attention. When I was in Perth at the settlers' conference I spoke to the Minister with regard tot he advances made for stock. I think that if the Government supplies breeding ewes on extended terms it would be of great benefit to the settlers. When this Government was formally in power and Mr Mitchell was Minister, one could obtain £250 for stock and implements by way of a loan, but when the Labour crowd came in they reduced it, although an Act was passed to provide for further advances. Nevertheless, they reduced the £250 to £150, giving £100 for stock and the rest for a plough, etc. What sort of gift was that for the farmers? There is no chance of their getting any sheep. Mr Mitchell's publications induced me to come here and showed me how to make a profit out of farming, but by the time I got here the Government withdrew it, and it would be a good thing if Mr Mitchell was to reinstate the position, for it must be borne in mind that farming must be a payable proposition before it becomes any good to the State or to the people engaged in it.

(The witness retired.)

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HUBERT WESTON LAKE, representing Doney & Lake, Wokawah, Farmer, sworn and examined:

6656. To the CHAIRMAN: We have been here for five years and hold 4,000 acres; 1,550 acres are first class, the balance is sandplain and ti-tree and gravel with salt march. The price of the different blocks was 9s., 10s., 9s., and 9s. 6d. The railway sid-