Part 7

Page 499
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This transcription is complete

were described by "Scrutator" in the West Australian.

8336. What is the reason of your poor crop? - The seed and super. came too late: £50 of the £132 belonged to the old seed wheat board, and the rest to the machinery merchants.

8337. Would you be willing to start again if you could get help? Yes. Meantime I am earning a living as a labourer. There is no poison on my cleared land. (At this stage witness retired in distress.) On resuming he said: Messrs, Wills, Wigmore, Harris, Scarfe, Drs. Mackey and Hessen, and the local storekeeper are my creditors. A meeting of them was called. The Agricultural Bank would not give me an advance. I sold the seed wheat without their permission. They would not give me an advance for horses as they had altered their rules and regulations a few months before. The creditors thought I was going away and not returning. I had £10 to pay on the plough , and £33 on the harvester and manure and bags. They would not let me go on because I did not have a horse to go on with, and the Agricultural Bank would not give me one. The day of the meeting my wife went into the hospital for incurables at West Subiaco, and I went down with rheumatic fever. I applied for a stock loan on the 6th April, 1916, and got a reply on the 2nd February, 1917, to say they did not have the inspector's report. I wrote every month in the meantime, but that was the reply I received nearly 10 months afterwards. I have been harvesting on my own place. Off the 140 acres I have 190 bushels. I got £8 3s. cash. There is plenty of work here, but I must work on my own place, owing to the rents and interest. I would like the Industries Assistance Board to pay the rent and give me assistance. I have 190 bushels, which I have not shifted off yet. I could put in 200 acres of crop if I had a plough, drill, cultivator and horses. I ploughed in April to enable me to fallow 200 acres, as I had a good self-sown crop to feed the horses on. (The witness retired.)

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EXTRACT FROM EVIDENCE OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES, YEARLING, 15th FEBRUARY, 1917. ________________

GEORGE ALBERT FEARN, Lake Yearlering, in reply to the Chairman, made a statement as follows: -

8338. I arrived here a month ago with my wife. I am a returned soldier. My land was transferred to me from my brother. There were two years arrears of rent due to the department and they rendered me a bill for that rent. I asked for time to pay it up, as I had nothing at all left in the way of funds, my cash having been expanded in bringing my wife and furniture up to the land. Before leaving Perth I saw Mr Morris who told me that returned soldiers were exempt from the payment of rent for five years, and now I just received this letter from the department dated the 10th February, 1917, and signed by Mr. Conway, demanding the payment of arrears.

8339. The Chairman said that he would bring the matter under the notice of the Minister. _______________

HERBERT PERCIVAL TUCKFIELD,Morrell Grove, Yearerling, sworn and examined:

8340. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been in the district? - Since 1908. I had 15 years' experience in South Australia at Kapunda and Burra. I was mining before that. I have 728 acres, morel, mallee, white gum, salmon gum and ti-tree. I should call it second class land. The price is 9s. It is all fenced and subdivided into paddocks and mostly sheep-proof fenced: 275 acres are cleared.

8341. Why have you so little to show for your nine years work? - I have done all my own work. I have a good water supply of permanent soaks and a small dam. I am a married man and have a two roomed house and a lean-to, bush stables for six horses, two cows, one bull, two calves. I had £100 capital when I started and borrowed £500 from the Agricultural Bank. I owe the Industries Assistance board and creditors about £250. I have 200 acres of crop averaging 10½ bushels.

8342. By Mr PAYNTER: How much was fallow? - None of it, but unfortunately I never had sufficient land cleared to enable me to fallow. I plough four inches and cultivated unless in loose land, when I harrow. I believe in Federation for early sowing, also Bluey and Lott's, for late sowing, Steinweidel and Bunyip, I use 45lbs. of seed and 45lbs. of super. to the acre. My highest yield was 12 bushels in 1912-1913. To put in and take off a crop costs 30s. The tariff is far too high. Bulk handling would be a boon if properly carried out. I had a slight touch of red rust once only. I grade my wheat. Fruit trees and vegetables do fairly well but the long dry spell affects them. A man should have 1,000 acres of land in this district. To give him a good start, and to warrant the purchase of machinery and horses, he should have 400 acres cleared, so as to have fallow each year. By himself on fallow he should do 250 acres. To encourage people to take up land there should be five years free of rent. I consider that each district out here should have a trained nurse, on account of the distance to the doctor. We require a railway telephone. We have tried to have it made available for our use but have not succeeded. We have settled the land and made the railways to come here, but in cases of life and death, or crime, we would have to go into Wickepin. The telephone was here once but it was removed. Clearing costs about £1 an acre. The mallee is heavier. Personally I want more land cleared.

8343. By Mr VEEN: Can you make farming pay without sheep? - No. It is not farming without sheep. I am almost ready for sheep. I could not venture to have more than 50 good ewes, but could build a flock from that as I got more land cleared.

8344. By the CHAIRMAN: What is your opinion of the district? - I consider the prospects good. The rainfall is about 14 inches, and the general run of the land has a better clay bottom than land further west. Mallee land, if well worked, early, will produce 25 to 30 bushels. I have received no assistance or advice from the experts of the Agricultural Department but even if one of them were to come here once a quarter some good would result. We always have good meetings of the farmers here.