TUESDAY, 12TH JUNE, 1917.

(At Beverley.)

  ----------

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

       ----------

HERBERT STANLAKE TROTMAN, Inspector for the Agricultural Bank and Industries Assistance Board, sworn and examined:

9675. To Mr. PAYNTER: The district I control is bounded on the north by a line running due eastward from just north of Beverley taking in South Caroling, Wogerlin, Kurren Kutten, Babakin, South Kuminin, portion of Emu Hill, Mr. Arrowsmith and the north portion of Kondinin, Bendering, Corrigin, Kunjin, Lake Yealering, and west of Pingelly and all the settled country to the west of a line from Beverley to South Pingelly, and west to the line to the Bannister River. I have under my control about 150 Industries Assistance Board men, including about 14 to the west of the line. Those 14 are mostly small area farmers. There is nothing like the quantity of first class land there that is to be found out eastward. Some of the men are doing very well. There is a good deal of poison out there. I think those men are improving their position, but some will take many years to get properly on their feet. It is a question of mixed farming out there. It is better oat country than wheat country. Very few of the small holders are in a position to have sheep. They are relying on their cropping operations. Very few of them out there draw 9s. a day. They are doing on less than that. They are trying to keep their debts down. A big majority of the Industries Assistance Board clients are keen to keep down their liabilities. On the whole, those out eastward are doing much better. The worst portion of my district, the poorest proposition, is really on the western side, on account of there being such small areas to farm. They require more cleared land and larger holdings. A thousand acres to the west of the line will probably contain two-thirds of poor land, whereas eastward a whole thousand acre block might be fit for cultivation. Things have improved since the new arrangement was made. There is very little stock out eastward. It is very rare for a man to have sheep or cattle. There are a number of absentee holders out there. A portion of Emu Hill comes into my district. Given reasonable seasons, I think all the men out there who are farmers will make it good. It is one of the finest agricultural belts with reasonable rainfall to be found in the State. I have frequently reported on the unimproved holdings for the Lands Department. There are a number of abandoned holdings out there, some of which have been taken up again. After the need for more cleared land, what the settlers require is sheep; that is those who have assure water supply and sheep-proof fences. Dogs and rabbits are both bad out there. The poison for combating those pests was supplied too late in the season. The Government are not doing anything to clear rabbits off the Crown land.

9676. To Mr. VENN: In most cases the Industries Assistance board clients in that district are well supplied with water. The dams are big enough but each man requires more than one dam. It is good holding ground and affords good catchments. I think Arrowsmith is just about within the safe wheat limit. I classified the land out there for the department in connection with the railway route. The whole of Kurren Kutten is in my district. They are having a bad time with the rabbits out there. The morrel land out there seems to require more rain than other land. I think the morrel country in such rainfall should be classified as second class land. The morrel around Kondinin is all right. It is a light, red, sandy loam and holds the moisture well. I had nothing to do with settling Mills on his block at Kurren Kutten. It is about six or seven miles form the line now going through. I cannot say whether it would have been better to have spur lines than loop lines in that district. If the 9s. per day provision were removed, a good many settlers would have to go off their land. In most cases they are doing with less than that. With few exceptions, they are responding well to the instructions under which they work.

9677. To Mr. PAYNTER: With the Industries Assistance board working as at present, I do not think anything further can be done for the settlers. Later on some assistance might be given in regard to the acquirement of stock. The rabbit question is going to be serious with a good many settlers, especially those bordering the lake country. The Industries Assistance Board is no longer prepared to assist a client who is cropping less than 250 acres.

(The witness retired.)

JOHN ROSS BREMNER, Farmer, Beverley, sworn and examined:

9678. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been farming 10 years in this district. As a boy, I had farming experience. I hold 4,000 acres of C.P. land. A portion was cleared when I came here and I bought small parcels around it, paying £2 per acre. It runs along the right side of the Avon River. It runs up to Kokeby and is within five miles of Beverley. I have 2,500 acres cleared. All is