GEORGE WALTER, Farmer, Wickepin, sworn and examined:

8388. By the CHAIRMAN: When did you come to this district? - In 1908. I was brought up at Eudunda, South Australia, and was afterwards in New South Wales, and then came here. I have 974 acres, 100 acres of which is first class, 500 second class and the balance third class. I inspected my land before taking it up. I have managed to get along. I pay 10s. an acre for the land and have 11 miles cartage to the railway. The whole of the property is fenced with two and three wires. I have 450 acres cleared. My water supply consists of two dams now dry. One of them is 1,000 yards capacity, 10 feet deep. It would be no good making either of them deeper as the bottom is no good.

I am a married man, with nine children, one of whom attends school five miles away. I have a bat house, iron roof stable, bush shed, set of implements, 12 working horses, and eight others, seven head of cattle, and ten pigs. I had £200 capital when I came here and borrowed £481 from the Agricultural Bank. I have had no assistance from the Industries Assistance Board and have no other liabilities. I have 350 acres under crop which will average 10 bushels.

8389. By Mr. PAYNTER: How many acres are under fallow? - None at all, but I had all my land in last year. I have 100 acres fallowed for this year. I have a preference for Bunyip and sow 45lbs. of seed with 50lbs. of super to the acre. I pickle my wheat and have had no disease. So far as the duty is concerned, it is far too heavy to allow farming to become payable. Bulk handling would save bags. We keep ourselves in fruit in summer and in vegetables in winter. We find pigs and poultry profitable. A man must have 1,000 acres in this district to make a living out of it. One man ought to be able to do 250 acres yearly. If I had to tackle it again I would leave farming alone.

Personally, I wish that I had stuck to wages. Railway freights are far too heavy. There are too many men in motor cars running about the country who are kept by the farmers. I feel that I want a holiday, but, instead of taking one, I have to cart water for my horses. My highest average yield was last year--15 bushels. I have a plough lying at the railway which costs £4, and it has been so knocked about that I have to get a blacksmith to repair it before I can make any use of it.

8389A. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you prefer this district to Eudunda? - Yes, most decidedly.

(The witness retired.)

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JOHN WALTER TRENORDEN, Farmer, 86-Gate, Wickepin, sworn and examined:

8390. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been here? - Since 1910. Previously I was a gardener. I hold 740 acres, of which 700 acres is first class. The price is 10s. I have 10 miles cartage to the railway. The whole of the property is fenced, 470 acres cleared. My water supply consists of a 1,300 and a 500 yards dam. The former is 14ft. deep and is a permanent supply. I am a single man and have a house, stable, and sheds, a full working plant, 10 horses, 12 pigs. I had £300 capital when I started and borrowed £450 from the Agricultural Bank. I have 340 acres under crop going 11 bushels. I am appearing here on behalf of the Farmers and Settlers Association. Farmers here bought seed from me during the drought year at 6s. per bushel, but the Government would not consent. These farmers actually carted my wheat for me to Wickepin and the Government sent it to Perth.

The freight was charged to Perth and the seed was sent back here, and the same wagons that brought it in took it back again, when they could not get it within two or three miles of the camp. Mr. George Shipley, of Geetarning, wanted some seed from Lewis Bros., but the Industries Assistance Board would not let him have that. They sent instead Scadden's Prolific; he had to pay freight 9s. a bushel by the time he got it at the place. The drought came on top of that before they had a chance to establish themselves. The freight is far too high up here. If we order our bags amongst several of us they may come up in one truck, but each has to pay for his own. The Industries Assistance Board put them all in one truck and directed them to individuals. My bags cost £4 for four bales and the manure cost exactly the same. The total for each was £52 12s.

8391. To Mr. VENN: A farmer requires 600 acres cleared for fallow and crop. I have enough for myself, but I have always been used to a small holding. Nevertheless, I could run a good few sheep on my 740 acres. I am quite satisfied with the land rent.

(The witness retired.)

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ANDREW SOUTAR FORSYTH, Farmer, Elsinore, Wickepin, sworn and examined:

8392. By the CHAIRMAN: I understand you would like to make a statement to us? - Yes. I represent the Geetarning farmers and settlers. Wheat does not pay to grow; 36s. is the cost of landing the crop on the siding and has been for the last six years. My property is 20 miles east of here. I got nine bushels on the fallow and seven bushels on the average, but that does not include depreciation, only wages to the farmer. There are very few of us who are not on the Board. A lot have put so much money into it that they cannot leave it. I put a crop in 200 acres of land, but it got knocked down with hailstones. I bought the seed in Narrogin and carted it 50 miles. In 1914 I got no crop at all. I have since knocked off wheat growing. The high duties are killing the industry. Wheat should be sold at a standard price in order to give the farmer a living wage. The only thing that will pull them out of the muddle will be mixed farming.

8393. By Mr VENN: Do you want a fixed price for your wool? - When farmers are knocked out in their early stages they must sow more economically. It is no use a man in this district holding less than 2,000 acres.

(The witness retired.)