for rent would be about £70, and I have paid the interest and one instalment on the Agricultural Bank loan.

7159. To Mr. CLARKSON: We have 300 acres under crop, 40 acres is fallow. We had but little fallow previously, but I am a great believer in it and would like to have as much fallow as possible. The 40 acres looks better than the rest of the crop by four bushels to the acre. I sow all early varieties, one bushel to the acre, and 45lbs. of the later wheats, and 80lbs. of super. I sow about the same on all the land. The highest yield I have had yet was 12 bushels in 1903. This year I expect it will be about 12 bushels and it takes 10 to pay expenses. Of the early wheats, I like Comeback. This year we had Yandilla King looking very well. I use a four-furrow and a six-furrow plough, but the latter is a disc and the former a mouldboard. With the mouldboard and six horses, I can do five acres a day. I work six horses in the disc and so do about the same area. It is about the same cut as the four-furrow mouldboard. With a 15 drill I do 10 or 12 acres. I have a five foot Mitchell harvester, which does from five to six acres a day. We have had a tractor on the land, a Fairbank Morse. Last year it is the only land we could work. It cost 5s. an acre for 150 acres on hire. Horse feed was scarce and the horses were turned out. It is practicable for ordinary farm work. The heat and dust seem to affect it more than the horses. At the present time bulk handling would not be of much benefit. There are too many shallow water ports here. I think we should have machinery and cornsacks duty free.

7160. To Mr. PAYNTER: Last year we had rust badly. I pickled the wheat and put it through the winnower. We put in a few peas, one season and some turnips were extra good and yielded 10 tons to the acre. This season we have a few fruit trees, looking very sickly. We keep a few pigs, but we had no grain to feed to them. Our poultry have been keeping us going fairly well. I have not paid any wages, but we average, I think, about 12 hours a day. To make a living out of the land in this district, a man must have at least 1,000 acres and the maximum he could handle annually would be about 250 acres. Co-operation among farmer would be an advantage and a scheme is being tried at the present time. I do not find fault with the price of the land, but to pay the rent has been the main trouble and I would like an extension of time, say five years. That period would make a lot of difference to us.

7161. To Mr. VENN: We have been too poor to get sheep, and you cannot get them on bills at the present time, but we can carry them well here. I would prefer to fatten and get rid of them rather than breed them, otherwise half the feed is wasted by their continually tramping about the place.

7162. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you think you could make any success of farming?—Not under present circumstances, and not unless we get better seasons and better prices. We have not had a good season yet, although the wheat always seems to grow pretty well.

7163. You have spent £1,370 on the farm?—All that has been made on the produce has gone into the farm as well, the crops that have been sold, etc., and we are still in debt.

7164. How did the money go back into the land that you got from the crops?—We have always sold a little wheat, and have paid our rent and the instalment on the machinery. We managed with the little capital we had to pay our way fairly well so far. With better seasons I think we would come out altogether differently. I think we are losing a lot of our crop through harvesting the wheat alone and leaving all the straw. We are only getting the benefit of a portion of the actual returns. By leaving it to dry we do not get the benefit out of it.

7164a. You prefer threshing machines to the reaper-threshers?—I think we are wasting a greater part of the crops through burning the stubble off as we do. As regards rentals I am getting no better returns than those on the Board, and I am receiving no benefit from it. Others get assistance and I do not. I cannot get anything without cash. Since the Board came along, the merchants have turned me down and want cash every time.

(The witness retired.)

GERVASE CLIFTON, Farmer, Northampton, sworn and examined:

7165. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been here for the last six years, and was farming all my life in the South-West. I have 846 acres, part of the Wibi repurchased estate, which is part of Oakabella. The price per acre, exclusive of interest, on one block is 35s., on another 30s., and on the other 25s., and the annual payment to the Government is £98. About one-third of it would be first class cultivable land, but it is very rough hilly country, and though there is good grass there it is rough and stony. I inspected it before taking it up, and the land was good if I could only get rid of the stone. There are more stones under the surface than one would realise on casual inspection. I am 4½ miles from the railway, and have 230 acres cleared. It is all fenced and contains seven paddocks, with a sheep-proof fence. The water supply is good; I have three wells and a pool which is permanent except in a dry year. I am a married man with three boys, two of whom attend school. The house is wooden and line with asbestos, and contains six rooms. I created it myself. There is a three-stall stable with a straw roof, and a shed for implements, which is all ready for iron. With the exception of a wagon and engine, I have a full plant, five horses, one cow, and 200 sheep. When I came here I had £30 in cash and four horses worth in all £100. I had £550 from the Agricultural Bank, and for two of the leases I have been on the Industries Assistance Board. I do not know exactly what I owe them, as I have had no statement since last September twelve months. They have paid my back rents, amounting to about £100 a year, for four years, and the first year I was on the Board I was allowed £7 a month and for the last three months £15 a month, or roughly about £600 in all. I cannot give you my outside liabilities exactly, because I have not had a statement of the proceeds of my last year's wheat, but I think £230 was owing to the machinery agent and storekeeper. My harvest last year was