THURSDAY, 7th JUNE, 1917. (At Bolgart.)

Present: H. H. Paynter, Esq. (in the chair), F. E. Venn, Esq.

WILLIAM COUSINS, Farmer, Long Hills, Bejoording, sworn and examined:

9623. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been farming all my life. I was born here. I hold 800 acres here and 2120 at Corrondeen. The latter was Midland country. All is now freehold. All my land here is cleared, together with 330 acres of the Corrondeen country. All is fenced and subdivided with the necessary houses and equipment. I have 33 horses, with full plant, including chaffcutter and engine. I cropped 600 acres last year, and 700 the year before. My yield was 17 bushels for the year before last and 16 bushels last year. The average for the last five years would be 12 bushels, cutting out the drought year. The heaviest yield was 24 bushels, which was in 1912. I use a bushel and a quarter of seed and 75lbs. of manure. I think 500 acres of first class land would be sufficient for a man in a good district like this. I have brought up a large family on my 800 acres, and I have a credit balance. I would sooner have the Corrondeen land for farming because it can be worked all the year round. My land here is worth £4 per acre, while the Corrondeen land would average only 30s. My 800-acre block is 2 1/4 miles from the railway, and the Corrondeen land is 5 miles away. In regard to the future, I think they will have to build another railway from Bejoording to Northam to take away the produce. All this district is fit for cultivation, and in another ten years it will all have been cleared I have 1100 sheep, 435 being out of Corrondeen .The carrying capacity of cleared land here is two sheep to the acre. If it were properly worked without waste it would keep three sheep to the acre. We do a little dairying for ourselves. I am sure dairying here would pay all the year round.

9624. To Mr. VENN: The majority of the farmers here are making a success of it.Those who have failed have themselves to blame. I think this is as good a district as there is in Western Australia. In my opinion the extension of the line has gone in the wrong direction. It should have been built where it was first intended to put it, namely, from Bejoording to Bourke's Siding on the Goomalling line. Sooner or later it must go there. The production will warrant the line. It would have proved of greater benefit to a far larger number of settlers than the present extensions has done. I had no capital to start with. All that I have to-day I have worked for. I first got my money together by working for 18s. a month with one horse. My father and I took up 100 acres of land. He previously had 20 acres. The cost of putting in and taking off is as follows: —Fallowing or ploughing 7s., cultivating 2s. 6d., drilling 3s,6d., seeding 4s., phosphate 3s. 6d.,harvesting 5s., sowing 6s., bags 3s. 4d., oil 3d., carting 2s., interest on land and clearing 5s., total £1 17s. 1d.

(The witness retired.)

JAMES STURGESS TWINE, Farmer, Yulgering, Kalingiri, sworn and examined:

9625. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been farming all my life. I hold 4156 acres, of which about 1200 acres is freehold, the balance being C. P. Government lands. I have 2000 acres cleared; all is fenced and subdivided into some 13 paddocks.The water supply is principally wells and soaks and dams. The farm is well equipped with house, buildings, and plant. I have been carrying up to 2000 sheep through last summer. I work 20 horses. I have 100 pigs and eight cows and young stock. I am married and have seven in family.There is a school on the boundary holding. I crop from 500 to 700 acres, usually on fallow. I should say there is a difference of six bushels in favour of fallow as against other methods. I use 70lbs. of seed and 100lbs. of super. I fallow as deeply as I can get it in, except it be virgin soil, which I fallow four inches. I had no capital when I started. I consider my improved property worth £4 per acre. The carrying capacity of my land in this district is about one sheep to the acre.I do not think it would carry two or three sheep to the acre all the year round. My cows milk well: they get through the year on natural feed. My average yield for five years, eliminating the drought year, has been 18 bushels. In 1913 I got an average of 26 bushels, and 43 bushels of oats off unfertilised land.

9626. To Mr. VENN: For the most part the farmers in this district are doing well. Those who are not have themselves to blame. I have been considering whether it is necessary that we should have receiving agents at the sidings. I see no necessity for them. If we could do without them it would be a great boon. All we have to guard against is pilfering. I do no think the difficulties are insuperable. The innovation would mean 4d. a bushel to us. More attention should be paid by the Government to the making of straight roads before settlement. This is splendid. We have horse country, although we have the poison to contend with. We have box, so-called York Road, and a poison known as white gum. We have dingoes here. I do not think the bonus on dingoes is nearly sufficient. The destruction of a slut is worth £5 to any man. One well