and I am on the Industries Assistance Board. If the repricing of land is a good thing for the State settler it is equally a good thing for the Midland farmer; what is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.

(The witness retired.)

CHARLES CROWTHER MALEY, Farmer, Three Springs, sworn and examined:

7490. To the CHAIRMAN: It is 10 years since we took up land here and four years since I came to live here. I was brought up on a farm at Greenough. In my own name I hold a block of 460 acres of first class land and about 1,600 acres of second class grazing lease. I manage a total area of about 21,000 acres of first, second, and pastoral land, and of the whole of the area about 3,500 acres is first class and about 3,500 acres second class. The pastoral lease would be about 14,000 acres. The agricultural land is 2½ miles from the railway. It is Government land. We paid 30s. an acre for some of it. The average price for the first class land would be about 22s. 6d., and the average for the second class about 7s. 6d. I have 3,000 acres cleared, all fenced, and subdivided. The water supply is four dams, two of 3,000 yards, and one of 4,000 yards, and one of 1,000 yards. There are two wells also, which water 3,000 or 4,000 sheep.

7491. To Mr. CLARKSON: The price of dam sinking is about 2s. 6d. a yard. I have had some sunk for 1s. 6d. and 1s., but have had to provide materials and so on which brings it up. The Public Works Department have two dams sunk here and have records as to price and so on.

7492. To the CHAIRMAN: But you had the 4,000-yard dam in 1914?—I just finished it then, but I had one dam of 3,000 yards, which had just gone dry. I have a stone and brick eight-roomed house and ample stable and machinery shed accommodation. The farming plant cost about £2,500. I have 60 working horses, about 2,100 sheep, 150 cattle, and 160 pigs.

7493. What do you reckon your total capital investment at?—About £15,000

7494. To Mr. CLARKSON: This year I have 1,700 acres of crop on my own account and 500 acres on shares; 300 acres of that is fallow. Fallowing is a hard question to consider. I do not consider it as a business proposition. The cost of labour and material does not pay for fallowing the land for the extra return obtained from it. If you feed your land for two years the difference would not be more than six bushels from fallow. Then you have the grazing of that for two years.

7495. Does it not mean that you must have a larger plant?—Yes; that is why I got the area in.

7496. Do you allow interest on the increased plant you have to carry to account for the difference?—Certainly. I sow 45lbs. of seed to the acre and sometimes a bushel. If I crop this year I will use 45lbs. If the land is spelling for a year or two and then cropped again I would say a bushel because I find it does not stool so well for the second year in. I generally use 50lbs. of super on the bulk of my land up to 100lbs. on some of it—the poor land.

7497. With regard to fallow, take the small farmer with 300 acres on crop, should he put in as much fallow as he does?—Certainly, if he is not running stock. I use 12-furrow disc ploughs and 6-furrow mouldboard ploughs. I work eight horses in the former and eight in the latter. I do 12 acres a day with the disc and nine with the other. That is a big day's work. They should do 10 easily and eight with the other. With the 17-disc drills 25 acres have been done, but a fair average a day would be about 17. I have a 6ft. and 8ft. Sunshine harvester, but I prefer the 8ft. With the 6ft. we do about eight acres and with the 8ft. 10 acres, using the same number of horses. That is why I like the 8ft. better on account of the horses and the men. The majority of the country is level. There is no side draught at all if you work three and three horses. The farmer by using the largest possible machinery would necessarily reduce his cost. Federation is the best seed with us. I have tried all wheats. Currawa is not too good here. All the early wheats give a good yield, but go down too quickly if there is a bit of wind. You cannot take risks with them.

7498. If the farmers stuck to the best wheats suited to the district their average would be raised?—Yes. In this district I have been growing crops since 1910 and I have had Federation every year, and in 1914 it was the only failure. It beat all other wheats for an average. Another point with Federation is that is will stand up as long as you like. After the big storm in January last year all the other crops lost 15 per cent., but it did not affect Federation. I had a nine-bag crop of Federation and it did not affect. Bulk handling would be of great benefit. I would tie my grain in loose bags or else put sides on to the wagon and cart it in bulk, but you would have to have a few bags empty at various places. All machinery and everything that is required in the industry should come in free of duty.

7499. To Mr. PAYNTER: Last year I had rust; that is the only time I had it. I pickle and grade my wheat. All the dry sown wheat is put in without pickling. Sowing dry seems to have the same effect as pickling, and there is no smut. I have tried fodder crops, but they did no good with me. Pig raising is profitable. I hand-feed the pasture mine. So far as wages are concerned, we have a couple of men at 25s., one at 20s., and others at 60s. for good men for harvester drivers. You have to pay any waster that comes along £2 10s. and his keep. A farmer here should have at least 3,000 acres of first class land. A man with a big team should do 500 acres of fallow. It seems to me that the price of land is reasonable and the conditions easy.

7500. To Mr. VENN: Sheep pay better than anything else. All farmers should carry more sheep. It would be a dairying district if the farmers went in for ensilage. We have two cows making seven to eight pounds of butter a week. They are feeding on stubble. Clearing costs 30s. an acre. In salmon gum country the soil is about 14 inches deep.

7501. By the CHAIRMAN: Have you any grievances with respect to land settlement?—The only grievance I have is that there should be bulk handling of wheat and the areas should be made larger for those who will work the land. Personally I would not farm on less than 3,000 acres. To farm on less is lizarding. This should be a prosperous district. Since I have been here there has been only one failure. If the land was fallowed in 1911 it would have shown a good average yield. Undoubtedly the small farmer should have fallow. If the I.A.B. people gave