LESLIE LARKE, Farmer, Nambadilling, sworn and examined :

8136. By the CHAIRMAN : How long have been in this district ?—I came here in 1910 and have been farming all my life, first in Victoria and afterwards at Pingelly. There are four of us and we hold 5,659 acres; about 4,720 are first class and the rest good second class country. We payed 10s. For 3,820 acres and the rest average 6s. We have 14 miles of carting to the railway which means four trips a week. We have 1,000 acres cleared, 3,820 acres fenced. The water supply consist of two dams, one of 2,000 and the other 1,000 cubic yards. We have plenty of water to see us through. each dam is 12 feet deep and cost 1s. 3d. a yard to construct. None of us are married. We cannot afford it. We have a three-room canvas house with a verandah, bush stables and a machinery shed, a set of implements, 14 working horses, foals and breeding mares. We had no capital when came here. We borrowed £1,400 from the Agricultural Bank. We are not on the Industries Assistance Board. All our creditors will be payed from this year's wheat with the exception of machinery bills. We have 700 acres of crop going about nine bushels, after cutting a portion for hay.

8137. By Mr. PAYNTER : How much of that was fallow ?-One hundred and fifty acres and it was the worst lot. In that country a lot of us are trying to grow wheat where we should not, as it is principally morrell, and it no good at all for wheat. The other land is good for wheat land and should be fallowed. You must plough deeper every time. We got 14 bags off 1,400 acres. what we want is stock. We have Currawa, Turvey's, Bunyip, Purple Straw and Gluyas. T think Gluyas is the best. We sow 30lbs. of seed to the acre and 50lbs. of super. This year is the best average we have had. Up-to-date we have not paid expenses. I cannot say what it cost us to put in or take off a crop. We have a 10-furrow plough with eight horses which does nine acres a day, a 22-disc cultivator, which does 20 acres , an 18-drill, which does 20 acres, a binder about seven acres, a seven-foot and a five-foot Sunshine harvester, with which we do 15 acres. It will cost us £195 for bags and super. I favour bulk handling, because, one set of bags would do us. We pickle and grade our wheat. I tried trefoil, but it came to nothing. We have also tried fruit trees but with no satisfaction results. I have to employ labour this year, because two of the brothers have gone to war. A man who has 1,000 acres has enough land in this district, but he should have 600 acres cleared. He would be able to handle 200 acres himself. It is not the rent that kills. The main cause is that we have not payed the rents and we have to do work that we do not want to do and we would prefer to do other work in order to make the farm successful, but we are being dogged by the Government. We should be compelled to clear 100 acres ever year. We have to pay rent on 2,000 acres when we have only 100 acres cleared, and we should be asked to pay rent on what we clear and only on that.

8138. By Mr. Venn : Are rabbits troublesome in this district ?—In two years time, owing to the rabbits we will not be growing crops at all. I have had experience of them before. We have a boundary fence, but it is wired. We intended to erect our internal fences first. rabbits are burrowing in this district and they have cleared patches in the crops. Dingoes are also bad, so much so much that sheep have to be yarded. We can carry 200 sheep and cattle on the bush country.

8139. By the CHAIRMAN : You only owe £1,400 to the Agricultural Bank and you have 1,000 acres cleared ?- Yes, three of our brothers were out contracting and kept us going. Farming itself has not paid for oil for the harvester. We have cleared 300 acres of morrel and it did not produce a bag to the acre. We have found by experience that wheat growing does not pay. We selected mallee, jam, and mixed country. We want to stock it and give up wheat growing altogether. If we can get the stock we want and farm on the country that will produce wheat, all would be well enough. If the government would give us sheep or cattle up to what we can carry we would be producing something. The aim of all farmers here is to get stock, and with wheat they can make it payable proposition. ( The witness retied.)

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WILLIAM ACKLING, Corrigin, Farmer, sworn and examined :

8140. By the CHAIRMAN : How long have you been in the district ?-Since 1911. I was four years farming in New South Wales and hold here 1,577 acres, of which 1,000 acres is first class and the balance, 500 acres, is light loamy land classed as second-class, and the rest is no use whatever. It is priced at 10s. 6d. and 9s. 6d. We have 13 miles cartage to the railway. We have erected 10 miles of fencing, seven miles containing three wires and three miles have one barbed wire only. We have cleared 700 acres and have a dam 10 feet six inches deep, containing 1,100 cubic yards. There is still three feet of water in it. It cost 1s. 6d. a yards. I did not go deeper, because there was a danger of getting into the lake. I am a married man with two girls past school age. I have a three-roomed house of iron, and hessian, a six stall stable, made of timber and iron, a machinery shed and chaff house, a set of implements, a Capel engine, which is quite satisfactory, six working horses and five others, including yearlings and foals, two cows, seven pigs, and poultry. We have 500 acres under crop and borrowed £700 from the Agricultural Bank, But nothing from the Industries Assistance Board. The other liabilities would be about £550, including land rent and interest. There are 425 acres of crop going 11½ bushels.

8141. By Mr. PAYNTER : How much of that was fallow ?-There were 325 acres fallowed and a farmer cannot afford not to fallow. I plough four inches and sow Lott's, Steinwedel and Correll's No. 5 Early wheat. I sowed 27½ lbs. to the acre and 60lbs of super. The highest average yield has been 16 bushels in 1915. A 12 bushel return would pay everything connected with putting in and taking of the crop. I have a four-furrow mould-board plough and recently I bought an eight-disc Shearer plough, and use six horses in each, doing four acres with the mould-board. I have a 17-cultivator, which does 10 acres, and a 15-drill, which does 12 acres and a