when it was wanted , and the dry spell in September. To pay the cost of putting in and taking off, plus depreciation in plant , would take 12 bushels , which would give food only besides. We have two ploughs , a 3 -furrow mouldboard and a 3-furrow disc and do 3½ acres with the one plough. We have a 12-drill which does 12 acres and a 5 ft. Deering harvester, which does four acres a day. If we had more land cleared and larger machinery we could put in more, but it is no use putting it in if you get a bad season. If you happen to strike a good season you are alright. Our ambition is to put in what we can and put it in well. But one has no heart for anything as things have gone so badly lately.I do not think bulk handling would reduce costs. Half the wheat that leaves the State will have to go in bags as shipping cannot take the bulk away. We have about £400 worth of machinery.

7256. If the amount you owe was split up and spread over ten years say and you had your present crop in hand could you make a success of things ? - Not if we get the same kind of seasons as we have had for the past two years. Last season we did not get a single bag of wheat and the season before only 33 bags. As far as lay in us to do it , we would do it easily enough , but with erratic seasons one could not promise anything. We have 600 acres cleared and intended to work under the fallow system. We have 210 acres fallowed now for next year.

7257. To Mr PAYNTER : We had rust and septoria in the crops last year. We pickle but do not grade wheat. We had Hungarian millet. I have a few fruit trees. The minimum quantity of land that a man should have to make a decent living out of here should not be less than 2,000 acres and the maximum he could crop, fallow , cultivate , seed and take off with one team should be 250 acres. The idea of co-operation among farmers is good and they are trying to form a union now. The terms of the land rent should be extended and the values are altogether too high. The land that we occupy is low in valuation, taking the production that has come from it. The value of the land is probably all right if there were an extension of time but to pay rents now is a hardship on is because the land is producing absolutely nothing. If we had an exemption from rents for a number of years it would give us a chance to get on our feet and make the property valuable. Still all the land is alright I think if we had a chance given us to improve it.

7258. To Mr VENN :I think the land would not carry more than 400 sheep all the year round that is with cropping. Sheep would do well with us as we have plenty of feed and nearly all of the farmers round here carry a few sheep.

7259. By the CHAIRMAN : How did you come to owe £ 1,000 in two seasons ? - We had nothing in the dry year , 1914 and got the supplies to put in the next crop. That Sum includes rents , interest, seed wheat , but no stock is included ; the trucker bill is. We got nothing off last years crop. The wheat was Currawa , but the storm destroyed 150 acres completely. We had the finest possible crops in this district and our land is the best worked here. We had Lotz and Federation ; the Lotz was standing four feet high, but you could not find a single grain in it.

                       (The Witness retired)
                               ----------------

JOSEPH BANDY , Farmer , Hutt, sworn and examined :

7260. To the CHAIRMAN : I have been in this district for 42 years. I was principally on sheep stations droving and prospecting. I have 1,000 acres priced at 12s 6d about 700 acres of good cultivable land three miles from the railway. I have 290 acres cleared. It is all fenced and divided in to three paddocks. My water supply is one well 37ft. deep with a splendid supply and I have just struck another at15ft. Both are good drinking water. I am a married man with seven children. One of them is of school age attending school regularly at Ogilvie. I have a timber and iron house no stable a bush implement shed and a full set of implements but I shall require another plough this year. I have nine working horses and 300 sheep. When I came here I had £ 800 cash. I have had for clearing and fencing from the Agricultural Bank about £475 and I have been depending on the industries Assistance Board for last years stores and this years. The accounts came up to me and were incorrect so I returned them and they have not been sent back to me since so I cannot give you the exact position. I probably owe from £300 to £400 and in addition there would be nearly £300 outside debts. I sent them all on to the Board. My owned my son's accounts got mixed up , so we sent them all back. We have had no reply since. I keep no books except a cheque book.

7261. By Mr CLARKSON : How many years have you held your thousand acres ? - Six years. I have 265 acres of crop ; 60 was fallow. As compared with the other I do not know that it looked any better. I believed in fallow in order to keep the weeds down. I have had no good results in the past from fallow, however but for next year I have about 40 acres fallowed . The highest yield I have had was 6½ bushels three years the crop will be 12 to 13 bushels. To put in and take off a crop plus depreciation of plant with wheat at, say , 10s. a bag , would cost about 11 bushels. I do my own work with my son. No doubt bulk handling would reduce costs , and the wagon could be fixed up easily to convey the grain to the rails. The tariff is excessively heavy. Implements should undoubtedly come in free. If our liabilities were funded and repayment spread over , say , 10 years , we would be put on our feet and could get credit from the store-keepers but it might be necessary to have the proceeds of this present crop in hand. Still , I would prefer to go on as we are going now.

7262. Have you sufficient faith in the district to make you confident of being able to make a living ? - Yes I consider the time we have just passed through was like three years bad seasons that we had in 1880. We have gone through the worst time of the whole lot.

7263. To Mr PAYNTER : Last year we had rust and blights very badly. I pickle but do not grade the wheat . I have not tried fodder crops or artificial grasses till this year , when I put in millet , which is doing very well indeed. My wife attends to the poultry. I have no pigs, and I do not employ labour. The minimum quantity of land that a man can make a living out of here is 2,000 acres and the most he could crop