9654. TO Mr. Clarkson: Railway freights should be reduced in the interest of the man on the land. Under normal conditions hay in the stack is worth only £2 to the farmer. My place is 70 miles from Perth and the freights is 10s,. or 25 per a cent. of the value of the stuff to the growers. I think it would be a legitimate action for the government to carry produce on the railways at a lesser rate, even if it did not pay the railways, for the sake of opening up the state's asset. The only way to get the country out of its present financial difficulties is by increasing production. I am on the water scheme extension from Northam Beverley. I am rated at 2d. per acre. It costs me £21 a year, while the domestic service costs me £5. I use the water, but only because I have to pay for it. I have ample water of my own. I think the present system of marketing chaff is unsatisfactory and not to the advantage of the producer. There should be a minimum guaranteed price for all produce.

(the witness retired.)

WILLIAM GOLDSMITH BUGERS, Farmers, "Tipperary," Burges siding, sworn and examined:

9655. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have been farming practically all my life. I was managing a farm when I was 12 years of age. I believe in fallow. Generally speaking, fallow is five or six bushels better than unfallowed. The fallowing should be from 4½ to 5½ inches. I have not tried any deeper. The best results are obtained from 1¼ bushels of seed. I think the small farmer can reduce costs by the use of the largest team the land will lend itself to. The success of farming depends upon getting everything possible out of the labour, whether man or horse. I cannot say whether bulk handlings would reduce costs. The average yield in the district for a normal year would be 12 or 13 bushels. Many and that brings down the general average. Personally, I am not satisfied with less than 16 or 17 bushels. Speaking generally of agriculture, one of the main thing is the proper selection of seed to suit the district. Wrong seed is of no use. The cost of putting in and taking off is about 37s. 6d., inclusive of everything but interest, rates, and taxes. Wheat growing alone is not farming at all in this district. One cannot profitably grow wheat without sheep. Subject to certain things the agricultural industry should be attractive to capital.

9656. To Mr. VENN: We have been dairying on a small scale all our lives. In a district like this where there are such good opportunities for stock and farming and export lambs, I do not think dairying is likely to be successful. After December the milking seems to go off. There is too long a dry spell. The sheep-carrying capacity of improved land in the district is about one sheep to 1½ acre.

9657. To Mr. CLARKSON: We have the goldfields water scheme, but we can not use that for irrigation at 1s. 6d. a thousand gallon. I have to pay £30 per annum for that scheme and its utmost value to me is £5. I had my own water before the scheme came through. The petition for the scheme was presented to me for signature, but I did not sign it, although I signed a petition for the scheme along another route, a dry one on which I had to guarantee £100 per annum. One of our chief difficulties is weeds. This year I have had to plough them all in again. It has put me back considerably. Indeed, I had to purchase another team to do it. In an ordinary year cultivating method will keep them down. I manure and stock fairly heavily and that brings more weeds. Moreover, I try to use the three years' cropping system and that increases the weeds. I do not think the present railway freights excessive. I do not like the idea of the railway freights in agricultural districts being reduced to such a point as to represent a loss to the department, a loss that would be spread over the whole of the community of the state. I handle all my grain on the bulk system. It is all in bins. In respect of the tariff, I think we are being taxed a great deal too much. Farmers implements should come in free of duty. If it were possible to standardise saying to the farmers.

9658. By Mr. CLARKMAN : Have you any suggestions as to what the government might do to assist the industry?—The greatest detriment to farming is political interference. Take the wheat pool. A few months ago Mr. Hughes said we will get 3d. Take wool. We buy sheep at extraordinary high values, and we do not know what we are going to get for our wool next year. We have no say in it. Lambs' wool appraised here at 8½d. was sold in London at 1s. 11½d. A fleece appraised were at 1s. 6½d. sold in London at 2s. 7d. I have not the complete returns yet, but I will send them to you when I get them. Then, there is a question of jute. We do not no where we are in this respect. In a state like this, we should have freezing works, with the markets to follow. We could produce thousands more sheep in the district. It would be of infinite benefit to the small man. Take the pig market. It has been glutted for six weeks and we are getting 5d. per lb. I think we should have a bacon factory. It is no use asking farmers to keep sheep unless there is a market for them. The railway department seem to be rather short of ordinary trucks and shockingly short of sheets. Frequently we have to wait for the sheep a week after we have the truck. Moreover, the sheep should be made a little larger than it is. We never have any trouble with the livestock trucks. The freights is excessive on small lines of stud stock and on small lots of stuff to farmers. The small man is penalised. In respect of medical attention, we have now only just one doctor and the fee is £5 5s. for a seven-mile trip. It is outrageous in the case of a small man. Handfeeding of sheep is profitable. One hundred and seventeen ewes and 118 lambs fed for five weeks cost 2d. per head, the details being—

                                                     £  s. d.                    
           2 tons chaff at 30s.  ..   ..  3  0  0
        15 bags bran. 60 bushels..  4  0  0
        11 bags oats at  6s.    ..   ..  3  6  0
          8 bags wheat at 9s.  ..   ..  3 12 0
                                                £13 18 0