Part 6

Page 349
image 12 of 98

This transcription is complete

FRIDAY, 8TH DECEMBER, 1916.

(At Yuba.)

Present: J. O. Giles, Esq. (Chairman), B.L. Clarkson, Esq., H. H. Paynter, Esq., F. E. Venn, Esq.

WILLIAM ALFRED TAYLOR, Farmer, Yuna, sworn and examined:

7028. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been here for eight years in this district. Yuna was thrown open in 1908, and railway communication was established three years afterwards. In the original location there were 30,000 acres, but settlement has gone beyond that since. There are 25 setters resident in this district, and the furthest from the railway is seven miles distant. Speaking generally, the water supply is bad. The nearest Government well is four and a-half miles away. A number of men have been unsuccessful in boring for water, but the catchment is excellent for dam making. I have never heard of poison in this locality. I believe the country was formerly held on grazing lease by Mr Burges as a portion of Bowes station. My brother and I took up 2,000 acres. We had no previous experience of farming. We were plumbers. We consider we can profitably cultivate 1,200 acres. The balance of the country is samphire flats. Six hundred acres have been resumed by the Government for a dam. We have cleared 600 acres and we have one mile of cartage to the railway. The whole of the land, 14 miles, is sheep-proof fenced. I am a single man. We have a good house and stabling for horses, and partial shed accommodation for our implements, of which we have a set, together with eight working horses. We have 50 sheep at present, and five head of cattle including calves. We had a capital of £200 when we started, but we have had to go to the Agricultural Bank for roughly £600, and we owe £560 to the Industries Assistance Board, which amount includes all our liabilities.

7029. To Mr CLARKSON: We have 590 acres cropped, 150 acres was fallow. We have had fallow in previous years with good results. The first year we had fallow we had 40 acres and got 18 bushels. We got 10 or 12 bushels more with fallow. We ploughed the fallow 3½ inches deep and cultivated it. We cultivate it four times with a spring tooth. We usually sow 50lbs. of seed to the acre with 60lbs. of super. The highest yield we has was in 1913—16½ bushels. There was the drought in 1914. We had 450 acres and only got 36 bags of wheat and a few bags of oats. Last year we had 400 acres and averaged eight bushels, but then we had rust. This year we estimate the crop will produce 11 bushels over 600 acres. I have had eight bushels on the average since coming here. I think it will take 11 bushels to the acre to pay our expenses. We have a four-furrow mouldboard plough and five horses. Four acres a day is fair work. We use a 13 drill. We used to do 30 acres with two drills, one of which we borrowed. We had a Sunshine harvester. This year we have a five-foot. We did have a six-foot and that used to do up to 10 acres. By the use of the largest machinery the land is fit for would be an advantage. Bulk handling should reduce our costs. To get the wheat to the siding we would have to convey it in bags. I consider we have to pay £100 more for machinery than we should so, owing to the incidence of the tariff. If our liabilities were funded and 10 years given us to repay the amount, we could finance ourselves in the future out of the proceeds of our work. However, we expect to be clear of the Industries Assistance Board this year.

7029a. But even so, would not the other scheme give you more capital to improve your place and afford a better chance?—Yes.

7030. To Mr OAYNTER: Last year we had rust. We used to pickle our wheat but have not done so for the last two years. Last year we sowed wheat which was full of smut. We sowed it in wet weather when the ground was wet and we got no smut in the crop, so I concluded it was not worth while pickling it, but we grade our wheat. We have not tried fodder crops; vegetables do well, but the white ants get at the fruit trees. We have grown some pigs here; they were profitable in conjunction with dairying and we also found poultry payable. We have never paid wages yet and we work from daylight till after dark, averaging 10 or 11 hours a day. The least area of land that a man can make a living out of here is 1,000 acres and the maximum that he could cultivate annually 300 acres. Co-operation is an excellent thing, but it is hard to get the farmers to work together. The land has gone up in price. I do not think a farmer could take up this land and make it pay now, but when we took up this land it was all right as the 2,000 acres only cost us about 7s. 3d. an acre, and there were homestead blocks in addition. Therefore, we ourselves are satisfied. The only thing we have to complain about is the droughts.

7031. To Mr VENN: We do not run more sheep because we have no capital. We had up to 300, but we had to sell them through want of water. If the Government provided sheep on extended terms that would suit us admirably. One hundred pounds has been approved of for us to buy them with. There are only four of us in the district who have sheep, and they pay very well. On 2,000 acres with the samphire flats we have the best grazing country.