Part 6

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posed of 50 at 17s. 6d. On the 21st July we sold 121 at 21s., in September we sold some for 24s. I am holding ewes and have a fair mob of two-tooth wethers. That was done without any provision whatever. With the 377 lambs at 11s. and 238 ewes in lamb at 22s. 6d., the total cost with interest amounted to £558, and the returns to £827 11s. In April, July, and September I was able to get the fat lamb price. At the present time I could carry between 800 and 1,000 ewes. We are better off than others on account of the mixture of country that we hold. Subdivision and water are a great help to you carrying capacity.

6970. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you think during your five years that you have suffered disadvantages which are not likely to recur?—Yes, but I consider that on repurchased estates no rents should be paid for five years. We have done a lot of work, sunk wells, fenced and cleared. We have done an enormous lot of work all the time, and yet we are in debt. However, according to all the records the bad seasons may not be likely to recur. I was fortunate in getting good water, but there were some settlers who put down as many as 11 wells without getting water.

6971. Do you suggest that the settler should be entitled to purchase 2,000 acres of a repurchased estate and pay neither principal nor interest for five years?—Yes, but he would be working under supervision as he is now.

6972. Have you ever head of any instance where estates have been purchased and where the settler has not been asked to make payments for his land for five years?—No, but there are no other places where they are so badly off as we are for markets; then if we stock up to the fullest limit we will glut the Geraldton market, and that means that we shall have to truck our stock to Midland. A bank inspector should be appointed to see that a certain amount of money was expended and certain improvements effected. I do not think that the settler should be asked for either rent or interest for a period so long as he carries out the work properly, and if he does throw up his land then the Government will have all his work to the good.

6973. But you would have to load the estate with the cost of supervision for those five years together with interest?—If things go the way that I hope they will, I would be in a better position to pay £10 an acre a few years hence than I am to pay 10s. an acre to-day. Twenty years to pay for your land is too short a period—it should be 30 years at the very least. We had to form a league here, and I was the one sent to Perth to interview Mr. Lefroy. It was a non-party league, and Messrs. Drew, Heitmann, Patrick, Carson, and Cunningham attended the deputation with me and put our case, but the Minister told us that he could do nothing at all until the 1909 Land Repurchase Act was repealed. I am told there is a Bill before the House now for this purpose.

6974. Have the departmental experts been of any assistance in the direction of promoting settlement?—The best man I know is Mr. Mills. He is the best expert of the lot. We did not see any of the others, but we have the State farm in our neighbourhood.

6975. By Mr. CLARKSON: You say the ideal way to farm here is to finish seeding by the end of June. You say you are able to plough 10 acres a day and that the maximum amount a man should be able to put in is 200 acres. That means 20 days' fallow?—If a man were single handed and did not employ labour he should not be asked to run his home and pull water for stock and do other odd jobs. He could not crop more than 200 acres a year.

6976. If he had nothing else to do and had all the conveniences to do his year's work with 700 acres of land cleared and the largest possible machinery that he could profitably work on the land, what could he do, for instance, on your land that you hold now?—Up to 300 acres.

6977. At the present time I expect my wages man to average 350 acres a year, and it surprised me that there are people on their own who cannot do as well as my wages man can do for me?—I have here some resolutions which were passed at the local branch meeting of the league held recently. (See Appendix.)

        (The witness retired.)
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WILLIAM HENRY EASTOUGH, Farmer, Yetna, sworn and examined:

6978. To the CHAIRMAN: I was born in this district, and have been working land since 1899. I hold 1,500 acres which I selected; one block of 334 acres is priced at 10s. and 1,204 acres, a poison lease, at about 1s. an acre. There is a railway siding on my land. If all the poison was off the country the whole of it would be suitable for grazing, but it is a poor class of land and is hardly arable. It is York road poison.

6978a. To Mr. CLARKSON: I had 400 acres cleared, but a lot of it has grown up again. I am unable to employ labour. I have eight paddocks sheep-proof fenced. I am a married man with two children, both of whom go to school. I am a carpenter by trade and have built a seven-roomed house. I put up a stable, which I have turned into a chaff house and shed for the engine. I have a stone shed also with an iron roof. My water supply is plentiful, and consists of three wells and windmills. I have a set of farming implements, four working horses, about 220 sheep, and one cow. I earned a lo of money on the Murchison and put it into this land. I had £400 or £500 saved, and I have also been assisted by the W.A. Bank. I think I owe them £350. There are 234 acres of the land in my wife's name, and the Agricultural Bank holds the title deeds of that. It is included in the property. I think she owes £100 to the Agricultural Bank. I have had no assistance from the Industries Assistance Board.

6979. Do you do any farming at all?—The year before last I had 160 acres under crop and reaped 105 bags. Last year I had 185 acres and got 320 bags. There was rust in my crop. I have 160 acres under crop this year, 60 or 70 of which is alive. It will do about two bags to the acre. It was all fallow land. To hold my own and pay my way I would require 20 bushels at the least.

6980. To Mr. PAYNTER: I think the rent of the land that has been repurchased is far too high and should be reduced, or else a longer period should be given for payment. I desire to exhibit a tiny piece of machinery belonging to an International harvester which cost £180, and for which I was charged an exorbitant price in Perth. The matter was disallowed. 6981. To Mr. VENN: I can run a sheep to three acres if there is no poison.