ing men in dog-infested country unless protected from dogs.

8739. The question of vermin destruction will have to be taken up with both hands; it is the most serious problem we have to contend with in the Eastern districts? - We appreciate the dingo pest but there are many settlers in settled districts who are not troubled with dogs. We would not fully stock a man's holding. We would give him 50 ewes and let him breed up. The minister settled that policy when he took over the department, that men should as soon as possible be supplied with sheep subject to the trustees' discretion to pick our men.

8740. By Mr. PAYNTER: Do you intend to issue the sheep under the present supervision - the inspectors? - Yes, we must have inspectors, we must be satisfied that men are ready for the sheep, that they have got water supply and are fenced securely, that they have their feed and are free from poison.

8741. By the CHAIRMAN: What is the bank's water policy? - We encourage men in the initial stages to put down dams or wells.

8742. Of what size? - Usually 1,000 yards.

8743. This is a matter which we have gone into extensively. We have had every engineer in Peth before us? - We generally advance up to £75 for water conservation and that is made available usually in the first loan.

8744. By Mr. VENN: Housing accommodation? - That has not been a very big item in the past; we have advanced altogether £93,927 for buildings, but that is another matter that the trustees realise will have to be faced. Decent housing accommodation will have to be given. As far as sheep are concerned, we realise that as soon as a man has got his clearance and pulls out from the board, he can get his sheep by his own resources. The poison difficulty will be a pretty big one with us.

8745. By the CHAIRMAN: After spending some months in the country we cannot see that a 1,000 yard dam is going to provide a reliable water supply? - My opinion is, if a man has got a good deep dam covered over, if it is in good holding ground, a 1,000 yards will see him through.

8746. We would require to be satisfied that a man has sufficient stock water there as it is no good supplying a man with sheep unless he has the water. In many cases of wells supply there is water which is good for sheep but not good for domestic purposes. In the districts adjacent to the Great Southern you find the dams there holding well.

8747. Out of the 12 inch belt by opinion is that a man requires a 2,000ft. dam 12ft. deep. Anything else is only going half way? - I do not think any satisfactory result will be obtained until the dams are covered.

8748. You may have the cover but you will not get what is required unless the depth is there? - You want the depth. That has been a great failing in the past; the dams have been put down too shallow for reasons which are not known. Perhaps the contractor struck rock. We lay down that 100ft. dam must be 8ft. deep and 1,000ft. dam 10ft.

8749. That accounts for the number of dams we came across 8ft. deep? - Yes. In many cases the evaporation is very great and that is why I say there should be a covered dam.

8750. I think it possible that a 1,000 yard dam 10ft. deep would be sufficient to supply a settler and his horses, but if you put sheep on as well I do not think it would be sufficient? - I would agree with that.

8751. By Mr. PAYNTER: Do you consider the present land laws calculated to encourage people to take up land? - I certainly think the conditions ought to be made easy with regard to poison lands. I think the settlers in the poison infested districts, principally west of the Great Southern railway, should get some relief. We have had a great deal of trouble there and have a big percentage of failures there.

8752. By the CHAIRMAN: What are the Agricultural Bank's worst districts? - I think the poison districts to the west of the Great Southern, but the failures have been due in the majority to the fact that the settlers have taken up very small holdings. They require a very good area of land there and an absolute minimum of price with every encouragement given to get rid of the poison and to stock up. Ongerup has been an unfortunate district for us for reasons that we cannot explain. The results have not proved satisfactory. Investigations are being made by the Department of Agriculture to see if a solution can be found to ascertain the reason of the failure. Those are the two districts we have had much trouble in regard to. Of course there are other districts where the settlers are too far removed from a railway. Take the Lake Brown district. The country there is good and the results good.

8753. By Mr. VENN: What about the Northern districts? - There we have been badly struck for two years running in the northern areas. In 1914 there was the drought and in 1915 the rust struck the crops.

8754. Pintharooka and Morawa? - The returns are very satisfactory.

8755. By the CHAIRMAN: Has the Bank definitely written off any amounts or has it provided for the country round Ongerup and Lake Brown? - I think the land is practically deserted around Lake Brown and some stimulant must be given to induce settlement: the district is a good one. It is good feeding country and rich land and I think in normal seasons would grow as good crops there as anywhere else. It has an advantage over country closer in, in that it is better stock country. I think the solution is that they will have to take a fairly large areas at a reduced rate and make them grazing propositions instead of wheat growing propositions. We have 533 foreclosed properties on our hands, but against that we have an accumulated profit reserved of £82,531. I have a return which I will leave showing the total advances made by the bank and the repayments.

(The witness retired.)