Part 8

Page 630
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This transcription is complete

WILLIAM HENRY WATSON, Farmer, Carnamah, sworn and examined:

9617. To Mr. PAYNTER: I hold a ready-made farm of 410 acres. I had previous experience in south Australia and Victoria. The number of my block is 939. I have 200 acres cleared. I am paying £4 for the land, with 5½ per cent. interest. I think my farm large enough at present, but I hope to add to it later. I had just sufficient capital to pay the deposit. I got 19½ bushels the first year and 23 bushels last year. ! am satisfied with my venture. I do a little contracting, which pays me fairly well. Last year it just about paid my rent. I can pay my instalment out of my cropping operations. I think I am over the worst part. I think the other ready-made farmers could do as well as I am doing. For the most part the English farmers on the ready-made farms do not follow good methods. I have no fallow yet. I sowed 57lbs. of seed and 60lbs of super. I started ploughing about the 1st March and finished about the end of May. There is a little or no fallow in the district. One man who has a little fallow does not find it very successful. I think it is beneficial. Generally speaking, I am satisfied with the conditions in the district, including railway freights. I think bulk handling would be beneficial to the farmer. (The witness retired.)

JOHN SNOWDEN ROOKE, Farmer, Carnamah, sworn and examined:

9618. To Mr. PAYNTER: I am one of the Midland holders. I had previous experience of farming in England. My blocks are 956 and 957 with a total area of 855 acres, of which 550 is cleared. The price of one block was £4 17s. 6d. and of the other £4 19s. 6d., although in the red book which the company issues they are marked each £4 10s. I discovered this only a week ago. I intend to apply for a reduction. The land is good but the price is out of the question as compared with the Government land which, after all, is just as good. Of my land 75 per cent is first class. The extension of the period of payments would be an immediate relief, but it would amount to the same in the end. In my first year I got between 16 or 17 bushels and last year I got nearly 12 bushels. The Company advises us to crop all of it for the first few years because they say "your payments will be heavy for a start"; they say the land will bear cropping four years. Next year I shall fallow because we must begin to carry some stock, without which the position is hopeless. I am not impressed by the outlook. We are fighting the company all we can. We must have a re-valuation if we are to remain in the district. I like the country and the life but the land is valued altogether too highly. The land will not give higher than 12 bushels until it is properly sweetened which will take 10 years. Our payments are heavy. 35s. an acre should cover all improvements, which means we are paying £3 per acre for virgin land. It cannot be done by wheat-growing alone. (The witness retired.)

ROBERT NEVIN, Farmer, Carnamah, sworn and examined:

9619. To Mr. PAYNTER: I am one of the Midland settlers. My block is no. 940. It has an area of 424 acres of which all but 70 acres is cleared. I had previous experience in New Zealand, South America, Scotland, and Western Australia. I am paying £5 10s. for my land with 5½ per cent. interest. I am not satisfied with that. I see no possibility of making it freehold. I have been here three seasons. I had no crop in 1914. In 1915 I got about 17 bushels; last year about nine bushels, there being a dry September and October, I think a fair price for the land would be about £2 17s. 6d. That is my sole difficulty. I have put about £450 into the venture and of course all my labour with that of my family. The farm has all the necessary equipment. I was induced to take up the land by the Midland company's representative in England. At that distance I though it was all right. I cannot make a living on the land at its present price. I am on the I.A.B. I was drawing about £14 a month, but now they have got it down to £11. The I.A.B. takes a lien over the crop with the consent of the Midland company. Meanwhile I am unable to make any payment to the company. If the Government settlers cannot make a do of it at the price of their land, we have no hope whatever. (The witness retired.)

ROBERT LESLIE GILBERT, Superintendent of Farm Lands, Midland Railway company, sworn and examined:

9620. To Mr. PAYNTER: We put under wheat the cleared areas of the unsold farms and in some cases we put in the crop for the first year for new settlers. Last year we cropped 3,500 acres on behalf of ourselves and the settlers. The crop cost us £1 18s., inclusive. I think that given normal seasons the settlers can make good at present prices. They have had two bad seasons and with few exceptions they have proved inexperienced men, and some of them have been very slow in adapting themselves to local conditions. This applies also to some who had previous experience. The good yields have been brought down owing to the fact that much of the sowing was done too late. Mr. Bowman averaged 25 bushels over some of his land, while another part of it gave only five bushels. Some of the settlers petitioned the London Board a short time ago. We received advice recently indicating the maximum concession the company could make, and suggesting that the Lands Committee and Mr. Tate and myself should make a recommendation in each individual case. I went into each case and made a recommendation, and we have intimated to each of the settlers the concession we are prepared to make in regard to their holdings. They owe us £10,000 or £12,000. This year we do not take anything from them. Next year they are to pay us interest only and the arrears are to be spread over periods of five and ten years. One, a Mr. Watson, does not require any concession. He cropped the first year 120 acres and cleared 60 acres the next year. I let him a contract to take off a crop at Coorow. He is an exceptionally good man and he has a good team of horses. This year he