for grain growing or mixed farming, provided the rainfall was sufficient, and that it was suitable for the tick cattle question. Mr Holmes moved in the house that the scheme should be dipped at Fremantle and sent indiscriminately over the country. The Minister sent me to get some further information about this land at Nangeenan, which was all in green timber. I was to make a depot and also to settle 50 settlers on blocks of about 640 acres. These men went there with worse than nothing; many were in debt. But those who put their shoulders to the wheel have done well. They had a two year' agreement with the department. There was a certain area plotted out that they had to clear at so much per acre, and they had to ringbark the whole except a small area round the house. Some of the blocks are occupied by men who are always in debt and in trouble, and others are occupied by men who have made good homes. Mr Mitchell said that these men must have 640 acres of cultivable land; it did not matter what other land they had; so that some of them had 1,000 acres.

9132. Was Mr. Growden already settled at Nangeenan? —He had been there two years when I got there but he had not grown a decent crop. The crop after 1903 was a good one. I was a member of the board that authorised the purchase of Yandanooka, and the price paid was £2 3s. 6d. an acre. There are either 61,000 or 62,000 acres of freehold land there, and a good deal of pastoral. There are fences all over the pastoral country, and these improvements were given in. There was also a well or two, and I think there were 70,000 acres of pastoral land.

9133. What was the average price at which Yandanooka was subsequently offered to the public?—I have not the plan with me with the prices on it. There was some sand plain there and the good land had to pay for the bad. The sand plain we put in at 16s. an acre. The other land, which was ploughable, had to carry the baby. I think there was about 1,200 acres of sand plain of various classes. Even there the sand plain is of various types—sand plain that is useful and sand plain that is poor. I could not say what the stock carrying capacity of the land is. We had no idea of the place being used as a stock proposition. We looked at it as a farming proposition.

9134. Do you not think that in valuing the land the stock carrying capacity should have been taken into consideration?—We always took that into account, grazing is not mentioned in the Repurchased Estates Act. It refers to land for closer settlement. I could not give you the average price at which Yandanooka was offered to the public without the plan. We had in mind when fixing the price the proximity of the land to the railway. Land five miles further out had to be a comparatively lesser prices. A man who can do two trips a day with produce to the railway is in a much better position than a man who can only do one trip. We also had in view that the better land had to carry the poorer land, and also that a good deal of the land that was cut up had more improvements on than other land. I will supply the commission with the plan showing the blocks and the prices attached thereto, and also a statement giving the worked-out average of the prices asked. we had to put a little more on the land which was in close proximity to the railway. The whole land has been cut up within five or six miles of the railway, and the other land which will he available later is further away.

9135. In estimating the value of Yandanooka you did not calculate its value as a grazing proposition, and the earning capacity on that basis to the vendors?- We did not go into that Question because it is diametrically opposed to the Act. With regard to the caring capacity of Yandanooka, a great fault about the place is that there is not sufficient water for the amount of feed. I could keep far more stock there than I am doing now if I could get the water. We had a lot of feed go to waste last year for want of water. The dams are shallow although they look deep when full. It could carry 20,000 sheep to-day with is green grass upon it a foot high and needle-point geranium of the same height. We have 4,000 sheep on it now and 1,600 or 1,700 head of cattle. I should like to double the number of sheep if I could. We cannot utilise the sand plain advantageously, although we fell back on one paddock last year. We could use the sand plain if we had enough money for fencing. The labour difficulties constitute a big problem. The A.W.U. even come up from Geraldton and organise on the price. I am not going to be run under those conditions. I would like to see the estate cut up and sold to-morrow on account of wheat this coming season, but if this work can-not be completed by the middle of June it will have to be stopped. The yield last year was between 13 and 14 bushels. Everything in the way of machinery is so big and cumbersome there. There is a large engine and a 30-furrow plough. The plough goes over the Bay of Biscay ground without touching half of it. That, too, is stopping now. We could not plough 100 acres a week with it. It is not all beer and skittles to have a place like Yandanooka. The Agricultural Department pays to the Land Department on behalf of the estate £ 5,000 a year. This is for the unsurveyed portion. Of course we are using the unsurveyed portion. Of course we are using the Surveyed Portion as well The Avondale Estate consists of 8,000 acres, and carries throughout the year 40 horses, five cows, and 4,000 sheep. It cost the Government either £5 2s. 6d. an acre or £5 5s. For the five year that I have been running it I have always paid the interest on the capital cost. Last year we had a thousand acres of crop, and this year will have over 1,250 acres. We have had a yield of up to 20 bushels I think the largest surplus we had was £400. if it is taken up on selection it should be taken up at its legitimate value, which is equivalent to 5 per cent. per acre on what was given for it. Sheep have helped Avondale considerably, last year its fat lamb were sold up 38s. 10d., and £3 was obtained for four-teeth wethers. We have a merino flock and English Leicester Cross. Last year Elder, Shenton got 15½d. for our cross-bred lambs' wool. Of last year's clip we have 50 bales which are still floating about some where in the world. As a member of the Land Purchase Board I inspected the Bowes estate, but did