also the country cannot be stocked with poison on it. The land should be cheapened for those farmers.

9284. To Mr PAYNTER: I consider in normal times the average price of land in this district is £4 per acre. This is for an improved farm. The average price of land in this district is £4 per acre. This is for an improved farm. The average rainfall is 17 inches. Sheep do well in this district and stud sheep for the North-West could be bred here. I have great faith in this district. My brother was two years travelling round before he decided on settling here. There are several people here engaged in wheat growing alone, and two or three hard working men are doing all right. The land must be broken up before running sheep. (The witness retired.) ________________

REGINALD BALL FREARSON, manager National Bank, Gnowangerup, sworn and examined:

9285. To Mr PAYNTER: I consider most of the settlers in this district are in a safe position. The bad ones are going out through their own neglect. The Gnowangerup people are safe. There are some farmers here making a success of wheat growing alone. Ongerup is not in my district, though I am aware some of them are doing well. I think it is alright as a district, but the land in places is no good. Here we have had trouble with some farmers, but now that they are getting a few sheep they are going along alright. My bank encourages the acquisition of stock. I have managed for my bank at Tammin and Wyalcatchem. This is the safer district for mixed farming. If the small farmer had had sheep from the start and cropped less he would have been better off. I think a bacon factory here would do good, but for dairying it is rather too soon. A factory at some other place where cream could be sent is what is wanted, but pigs once ready for curing should not be kept and a local factory is required. The highly developed land in this district is worth £5 per acre close to the town. I consider the sheep carrying capacity is a sheep to the acre, with the growth of certain fodders, say in 1,000 acres 150 acres of oats. Very few farms change hand in this district. Only one or two on good land are not making good, But they are not suited to farming. I consider the poison land at Ongerup could almost be given to farmers, provided they took the poison off. It is badly infested with narrow-leaf poison, and even after clearing it it is never really safe, as it keeps recurring.

9285a. To Mr VEEN: I consider a man should have 600 acres of cleared land and not more than640 acres He could do 200 acres of cropping and carry at least 200 sheep. Dingoes are bad on the outskirts of the district. (The witness retired.) ________________

OLIPHANT PIERCE RICHARDSON, Farmer, Gnowangerup, sworn and examined: 9286. To Mr PAYNTER: I have been 12 years in the district. I was brought up amongst sheep. We go in for a good deal of rape growing. We also crop a fair amount of wheat. Our property adjoins the railway. I think the carrying capacity of this country is about a sheep to one and a-half acres. We have 3,000 acres cleared. We shear a sheep to two acres. We have not been very successful with wheat. Last year our average was about 11 bushels. The poison is the worst thing we have to contend with. My brother and I have 8,000 acres between us. For Sheep feeding we sow 30lbs. of oats and 3lbs of rape seed; this gives excellent results. We are troubled with dingoes. In the last 18 months we have lost 100 sheep by them. I have given a good deal of consideration to the poison question. A small patch of poison has cost us £300 in pulling it and in losses of stock. I think this will be a good district for dairying. We breed rams on our property for our stations in the north, though the ones we have produced are rather on the fine-wool side. (The witness retired.) ________________

FRANK O'MEEHAN, farmer, Broomehill, sworn and examined:

9287. To Mr Veen: I have 14,000 acres 4,200 of which is cleared. Ten thousand of this is first class, and the balance second. I do a good deal of share farming. I give my share farmers the first 2½ bushels and half of the balance. They find the plant and I find the super and seed. Our average has been 15½ bushels. For all rape and oats put in for fodder crops I allow the share farmer an equal area of wheat crop. I buy all my chaff, and any if the crop that he cuts as hay is averaged to him on the 15-bushel basis. In the matter of insurance, say, on a 17½ bushel crop, the man pays on a 10½ bushel, and I pay on 7½. In arranging about the land to be cultivated, I make my share farmer take it in a face. The cost of root picking is big. I have a good deal of light country that I am not using on account of poison. There are 1,000 acres in grass. I am using 9,700 acres for my sheep. After it has been cropped for a few years and manured, I should think this country would carry two sheep to three acres. It is a good mixed farming country and wheat growing in my opinion is only a means to an end. I consider this will be the finest lamb-producing district in the country. Cows milk well on the natural grasses. I have tried Lucerne and sown it in with my oat crop. This provides good feed. There will need to be freezing works at Albany. For my wheat crop I use 60lbs. of super. to the acre, and last year sowed 1lb. of Lucerne seed with my oat crop which I cut for hay. Since then the Lucerne has come up again and I have a sample 2ft. 6ins. high her from the crop which was cut in December. Chicory I find is a good thing for sheep also. It has not the feeding value of Lucerne, but it provides something green for them in the dry months. I started a stud flock here and I had no difficulty in getting five guineas each for my rams. I find no difficulty in keeping the wool strong. My soil contains a good deal of lime, which may be the cause of this. In my opinion the country is not deficient in lime. On my place there is an old kiln in which they used to burn lime. Pigs are a very profitable line. I run 70 of them altogether. Generally speaking, I think the farmers here try to put fin too much land, and do not put it in thoroughly. I consider a man with the necessary capital should have 2,000 acres, in order that after cropping he might give attention to the lamb trade. Farmers are already going in for the crossbred sheep. (The witness retired.)

The Commission adjourned.