hold 475 acres of Midland Company's land, for which I am paying £4 15s per acre. Two-thirds of it is York gum land, and the balance ti-tree and tamma. There is also rubble and grey soil. The former about 60 acres and the latter about 80. The improvements effected on the land when I took it over were said to be 120 acres cleared and a house and dam of 1,000 yards capacity, but in the first year there was no water in it; now there is enough to last till the rains come in the summer. The property was fenced. I paid 10 per cent of the price down and 20 annual equal instalments plus 5½ per cent. I had 2,000 when I took it up, and I have had £230 from a son to supplement that and £80 from a daughter. Last year I got £400 from wheat.

7476. To Mr Clarkson: I have 260 acres cropped and no fallow, because it is all new soil.

7477. Will it pay to fallow in this district? -I cannot give you an opinion based on experience. I have had two crops. The year before last the company put in a crop. I paid £150 for what was said to be 120 acres. I found it was only 110 acres. The rest was grey soil. Last year I averaged 13 7/16 bushels to the acre over 260 acres. I estimate this year there will be an average of 15 bushels. It costs about 33s 6d, or 10 bushels, to put in and take off a crop. I have s statement here showing my actual costs to date. Bulk handling would reduce costs, at any rate it does so in Scotland, and there would be no difficulty in taking the wheat to the siding. As far as the tariff is concerned, if you compare a six-foot Massey-Harris binder with what we pay for it in Scotland the difference is extraordinary. There it costs only £32.

7478. To Mr Paynter: I had rust last year. I pickled and grade my wheat. If I had time to grow fodder crops I should be anxious to do so. I have only two pigs, although I think pig raising might be a profitable venture. No farm here should be less than 1,000 acres. In Scotland we do not carry all our eggs in one basket. A man should do from 280 to 300 every year. Co-operation is most emphatically a good thing, but whether it could be applied in this country is the point. Farmers here and elsewhere are very conservative. As to the conditions of the Government land, if I had known what I know now I would not be on the Midland Company's land. I would have taken up the Government proposition because then one could get a chance to live.

7479. What induced you to take up land? -My family all wanted to go aboard. The reason I came is that I had been a director of the sugar refinery and trade had rough time. The two partners quarrelled. At this time I was beginning to do very well indeed, and had risen form the post of assistant manager to be a director. However, they would not go on with the business and I fell between two stools. I had been born on the land and was anxious to go farming. I saw by the advertisements that all that I would have to do would be to superintend things, but I have found that you have to work particularly hard here. Mr R. L. Gilbert was there at the time and I asked him for advice. Apparently he was in a dual capacity. He told me it was absolutely impossible to get Government land anywhere near civilisation for educational and other purposes, and so I paid the deposit on the Midland land. Thinking the Midland Company were gentlemen I took their word for it that matters would be as they were represented, but I found things to be very difficult. If one could get first quality land at somewhere about £1 an acre and pay for the second and third quality, whatever the proportion is, one might have a chance. Under the Government one has 20 years to pay for the land and no interest, but I feel I cannot trust myself to say what I should like to about the Midland Company.

7480. In what respect do you claim they misrepresented the land? -In the first place, to show its productivity they send me telegrams and letters. They gave me the names of Captain Farley and Mr Colpitts, stating that they were harvesting crops of 25 to 28 bushels to the acre. I believe that probably they would be that size. I do not suppose, however, that Captain Farley's average since that has been 15 bushels to the acre, but they gave me that as an example to show the fertility of the soil and the certainty of the prospects. As far as the rainfall was concerned it was stated that the district was absolutely a drought less area. They overlooked the drought in 1911. In 1912-13 there were partial drought seasons in the Midland area. They stated that the average rainfall was 16 inches.

7481. By the Chairman: That is substantially correct according to the record for 20 years? -But it doe not fall at the period they said, which was during the growing period. Take last year. We had far too much rain at the growing period, which would be the cause of rust, but this year how many paddocks have suffered through want of rain?

7482. Were the seasons in Scotland regular and uniform? -Not absolutely.

7483. Could you expect anything else but variable seasons? -I do not expect that in any country. Supposing you had a drought and lost part of your crop. The point is it is not absolutely droughtless. One of their papers said that we could graze sheep to the acre. I will produce all the pamphlets to substantiate what I have said, but, believe me, I do not want to give you a wrong impression.

7484. How many crops have you put in? -Two, and the company put in another, that is three altogether.

7485. What were you given to understand was the average wheat-growing capacity of your land? -I was told that I should never have less than 22 bushels to the acre.

7486. Mr Clarkson: It looks like the fruit man who puts the best of his fruit in the window, but when you go into the shop you do not get your purchase out of that window.

7487. By the Chairman: Do you think you could succeed here? -I do not think so. My land should be revaluated to cover all our expenses. We would need to have at least 22 bushels to pay interest on the land. The Government, on the other hand, do not ask for interest.

7488. If you want 22 bushels to the acre you will have to look elsewhere than in Australia? -If we had land at reasonable price it would be another matter, and being a Scotchman it would be a strange thing if I could not succeed. I do not see my way clear as matters are now.

7489. When we return to Carnamah we will go further into the matter? -My capital is now all gone