in Yuna. I do not think we could run 400 sheep. Cows do well on the natural grasses and we make butter the whole year round. All that we give the cows in the way of feed is half a tin of chaff and a handful of bran. The greatest quantity of butter any cow has given us in a week was seven to eight pounds. Rabbits are getting very numerous now. I have never saw a live one until two months ago, and I have not seen any rabbit burrows.

7032. By the CHAIRMAN: What do you estimate the annual rainfall at?—At about 13 inches. I have kept a record since we came here. An average of 10.09 inches has fallen in the growing period during the past eight years.

7033. When did you get your advance of £560 from the I.A.B.?—We applied when the Board first came into existence.

7034. Have you any other source of income than your crop to pay them with?—We have sheep, cattle and fowls.

7035. What would be your gross earnings in the two years from them?—About £300. We kill a sheep every week and sometimes more.

7036. You are therefore reducing your liabilities by £260. You say you want 11 bushels to pay you. But if you make £260 in two years out of 9½ bushels you could make a do on less than nine bushels to the acre?—Yes, but there would be nothing left over. We do not spend any money, even on clothes. When starting out there are many expenses and for two or three years you have no stock. As time passes we are getting on. I was asked to come and give evidence before you, but I am personally not dissatisfied except for the fact that we have had droughts and we were led to believe that there were no drought in Western Australia, but that is the only point of dissatisfaction that has arisen.

7037. There have been droughts before 1914, but now that you are established you think you will make a success of farming here?—Yes, absolutely. I might mention that there is a school 4½ miles away from here. It is the only school that was asked for and it was at once given to us. Our nearest doctor is at Geraldton.

(The witness retired.)

_________________

HAROLD RUDALL, Farmer, Yuna, sworn and examined:

7038. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been in this district for nearly seven years. I had no previous experience of wheat growing. In South Australia I had experience of mixed farming, sheep, cattle, wheat and the breeding of fat lambs. I hold 1,000 acres priced at 6s. Eight hundred acres is good arable land, and I have only 45 chains cartage to the railway. I have 300 acres cleared. It is all ring-fenced with the exception of 58 chains and is sheep-proof. I am a married man with no family. I have a settler's cottage, stabling for the horses, but no sheds for the implements. My water supply is a small dam of my own, about 500 cubic yards capacity. It is not covered. The other water supply is from the railway dam. There has been a standpipe erected by the Water Supply Department and settlers are able to pump their own water. The dam is 8ft. deep. With a larger dam of my own I would have a permanent water supply.

7039. To Mr. CLARKSON: My dam cost 2s. a yard and was put down with barrows. Otherwise one would have to pay a contractor 1s. 9d. a yard. He uses a scoop. The Agricultural Bank used to allow us 1s. 3d., but if the Government would come in and a contractor could be secured to take out four or five dams on four or five blocks it could be done for 1s. to 1s. 3d., that is provided there were more than two to be constructed. A few years ago there was a good contractor here, but the other settlers could not get any money from the Agricultural Bank, so he had to leave the district.

7040. Has the district ever approached the Government on these lines?—No; but it might be well to approach the Agricultural Bank with a cut and dried scheme for the construction of several dams, but 1s. 3d. seems to be the limit that they will pay. If the Government found the contractor and there were four or five settlers who wanted 1,000-yard or 3,000-yard dams, the Government could call for tenders for the work.

7041. You know the Government is generally compelled to pay through the nose for everything, but ultimately it is the settler who would have to pay. Perhaps you should approach the Bank in this matter. We as a Commission will be only too pleased to assist, but self-help is the first essential, and you should take some steps yourself in the meantime?—The railway dam contains 12 million gallons when full. It is 20 feet deep, and there is 16 feet in it now, and barring one foot of water all last year's rain fell into it. We had three inches of rain in one night, which accounted for 12 feet going into the dam. We have another agricultural dam here which you should see. It goes dry and the carting all takes place at the railway dam.

7042. Have you a set of implements to work your land with?—Yes, and three working horses, but two of them are borrowed. I lost three last year; one dropped dead in the plough while working, and another was cut by wire, and the third one was laid aside.

7043. What capital did you have when you started?—I had £280 and the Agricultural Bank assisted me at the start, but I left them. With the £280 I had 40 acres of my own land cleared in the first year, 1911, and on a peppercorn rental I got the chance of putting in another 120 acres. I planked out the whole of that capital on the 160 acres. I bought horses, chaff, seed wheat and super, and carted from Naralling. I cultivated the crop in. I purchased a stripper and winnower and a drill, and paid the first instalment on delivery and off the 160 acres I got 200 bags. My capital was gone. I was on the Agricultural Bank and saw I could not continue with the way the the Agricultural Bank were dealing out the money and I wanted cash. I had a friend who guaranteed me to one of the banks for £350. I had another 60 acres cleared, making 100 of my own for 1912.

7044. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have 300 acres in crop, none of which was fallow, although I believe in fallow. I am a dry farmer and have practised it, but at the same time I cannot do it now because I need all my cleared land in crop. I sow one bushel of seed and 65lbs. on York gum and 80lbs. on the lighter soil of super. With larger machinery the cost would be proportionately reduced, but I doubt if bulk handling would reduce costs. Most of my