GEORGE STEPHEN WALTON, Farmer, Corrigin, sworn and examined:

8092. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been in this district? - Since 1913, and I had previous experience of farming. I hold 2,200 acres, 1,000 acres of which is first class land, the balance is scrub. I paid 10s. for 1,000 acres and 8s. for 1,200 acres. The land is situated four miles from the railway and is all fenced. I have 500 acres cleared. My water supply consists of soaks which have not been dry since they have been opened up. I am a married man with nine children and some of them are over school age. My house is of iron and timber and I have iron roofed stables and am now building a shed. I have a full set of implements, seven working horses,15 pigs and three cattle. I had about £50 capital when I came here. I got the place from my father who owed the Agricultural Bank £400. I think I owe the Agricultural Bank about £400, but I have no other liabilities. I have 330 acres in crop going over nine bushels and 28 acres of oats included in the 330 acres, which yielded 15 bushels.

8093. By Mr PAYNTER: how much fallow have you?—Thirty acres are fallowed. I had not sufficient land cleared for more fallow. I plough about five inches and cultivate twice before seeding. Federation has turned out all right, also Baroota Wonder and Lott's. I sow about a bushel to the acre and about 56lbs. of super. My highest average yield was 13 bushels last year. I have a three furrow plough with which I use five horses and do three and a-half acres a day, a 15 cultivator, which does nine acres, a 13 drill, which does 10 acres. I got a binder this year and do about five acres a day with it. I have a five-foot Sunshine harvester which does seven acres, but I favour the employment of larger teams and implements. I think the tariff is quite a fair thing. I have had no disease in my crops. I pickle my seed, but do not grade it. I have not tried growing artificial grasses or fodder plants, fruit trees or vegetables. Pigs pay well; they run in stubble. I have had about £30 from the Seed Wheat Board for wages. I would be satisfied with 1,000 acres on which to make a living, but a man should have 500 acres cleared. With a little help at harvest time a man should put in 200 acres on fallow. I am quite satisfied with the rent conditions. The cost of clearing forest land is about 25s. per acre.

8094. By Mr VEEN: Have you been troubled with rabbits?—So far they have not done much damage, but undoubtedly they will do so, and they have increased a great deal. Still, many of them are dying off at the present time. Dingoes are also a pest here. We had 60 fowls at one time and they left us with only 12. I am getting a dam sunk out of the bank loan and I intend to go in for sheep.

8095. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you consider that you have sufficient cleared land?—I want more land cleared to make a do of it. Half my clearing is on sandplain. Last year I sowed 90 acres of imported Steinwedel; that is a failure. I got a loan to clear 100 acres from the Agricultural Bank, but have not drawn it yet.

8096. By Mr VEEN: Do you intend to go in for sheep? - Is there any chance of getting sheep or cattle. I have 1,000 yard dam, which is all but finished and the winter rains should fill it. Besides this there is very little poison, but what there is is very easily cleared.

8097. By the CHAIRMAN: We as a Commission intend to report very strongly in favour of granting sheep to settlers?—I would have to have a wire netted yard and to keep them in at night. My brothers and I could join in together and provide a man to look after them and travel them from one block to another. (The witness retired.)

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JOHN HERBERT CUST, Farmer, Bilbarin, via Corrigin, sworn and examined:

8098. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been in this district? - I came here in 1913 and I was brought up in a farm in the East. I also worked on my uncle's farm at Geraldton. I hold 1,110 acres, of which 500 is first class and the balance second and third class. The price of 500 acres is 17s. 6d. and of 600 acres 14s. 6d. So far this price has not been reduced. The land joins the railway line. I have 150 acres fenced and 300 acres cleared. My water supply consists of two soaks. I am a single man and have a two- roomed asbestos house. I have bus stables, but no machinery shed. I have a set of implements, five working horses, but no other stock. I had £200 capital when I came here and borrowed about £500 from the Agricultural Bank. I think I owe the Industries Assistance Board £600. I have received no notice of the sixpenny dividend yet. This year I had 275 acres in crop going nine bushels.

8099. By Mr PAYNTER: How much of your land is fallowed? - None at all. I have not been able to fallow, although in my first year I had 150 acres fallowed. I plough as deep as I can from two to five inches. I intend to sow Gluyas. I have been sowing 60lbs. of seed to the acre and 40 to 75lbs. of super. My highest average yield was 11 bushels last year. I have had no disease in my crop. I do not grade, I pickle my wheat. A man should have at least 2,000 acres in this district, but he can not do much with less than 600 acres cleared. With a little help at harvest and seed time he ought to be able to do 300 acres. The price of land is too high, it should not be more than 10s; otherwise land regulations are quite satisfactory.

8100. By Mr VEEN: Are rabbits troublesome? - Some of the farmers are complaining of them. Later on I hope to go in for sheep. I have not seen my way clear to get married yet. The house should be the first thing that the settler should erect.

8101. By the CHAIRMAN: How has your loan from the Agricultural Bank been expended? - In stock , clearing and fencing and building a house. The Industries Assistance Board money was expended in seed wheat, super and horse feed.

8102. You have had £600 and have delivered one crop? - Last year and this year I had 270 acres of crop. It all goes back to the 1914 drought, and since then I have had the money from the bank.

(The witness retired.)

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