WEDNESDAY, 13th JUNE, 1917. (At Pingelly.)

Present: B. L. Clarkson, Esq. (in the Chair). H. H. Paynter, Esq. | F. E. Venn, Esq.

JOHN McBURNEY, Farmer, Stratherne, via Pingelly, sworn and examined:

9703. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been farming in the district 15 years. I hold a little over 1,000 acres of C.P., the homestead being freehold. Practically all is cleared. Some 800 acres is first class. It is fenced and equipped with houses and buildings and permanent water supply. I carry 12 working horses and four light horses, 500 sheep, five pigs, and four cows. I am 16½ miles from the Wickepin railway. I cart 20 miles to Pingelly. With my wife who has separate land, I crop 500 acres, of which generally nearly all is fallow. My average yield over a term of years is 14 bushels. I cannot state exactly the cost of cropping. Labour alone would be about 18s. I think on the whole bulk handling would be an advantage, but it would be costly to institute, and in some instances it would not make much difference to the individual. I am not in favour of the continuation of the wheat pool after the war. I have not gone into the question of the value of my property. I am quite satisfied to hold. Several of us out there are a bit too far from a railway, being in the base of an angle between two railways. In this respect we are heavily handicapped. This year I have carted about 2,000 bags nearly 20 miles. We can do only two trips a week. We sorely require better transport.

9704. To Mr. VENN: All out there are keeping a few sheep. We have no trouble from wild dogs. All the land out there is selected. It is very fair sheep country, about one sheep to two acres on improved land. We have Box and York poison, mostly box. It has been a great drawback. I have lost on an average 50 sheep a year. it is not good horse country. I can buy horses as cheaply as I can breed them.

9705. To Mr. PAYNTER: Including my wife and sons we had 6,000 bags of wheat this year. In my district there are about 12 settlers, all of whom are beyond the 12½-mile radius from the railway.

(The witness retired.)

JAMES MARSHALL CAMPBELL BARROW, Agent and Farmer, Pingelly, sworn and examined:

9706. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have had eight years experience in this district. I wish to complain of the railway facilities and accommodation at the station in respect both of passengers and stock. The yards are too small. The station buildings are very inadequate. The staff work under very unfavourable conditions and there is very little shelter for passengers. The stock yards have been improved recently, but there is room for further improvement. The railway freights on machinery are very high. The minimum charges are quite exorbitant. They do not give the small farmer a chance. One of the railway engineers has suggested that the railways should expend more money on the construction grading. All our grades are too steep, being up to one in 60. If these were reduced the haulage costs could be reduced also. Any money spent in regrading would be very soon recouped. Very little money has been spent on the railway grading in proportion with the cost of construction. It is of no use building a cheap railway if it is to mean specially heavy transport charges. The charges for truck loads are all right, but on small lots they are excessive. The country at large is suffering in this way. In point of farming, this is a very solid district. The only way to get the weaker men out of their difficulties is by furnishing them with stock.

(The witness retired.)

WILLIAM JAMES MARTIN, Farmer, East Pingelly, sworn and examined:

9707. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have been farming here 14 years. I hold 1,030 acres, of which 760 is classified as first class, the balance being second class. Practically it is all first class. I have 500 acres cleared. This year I have only 150 acres in crop. Usually I have 200 acres in. Generally it is all fallow. I believe in fallow. New ground I fallow three inches, working deeper until I get to six inches and then revert to three inches. I am troubled very much with weeds. I cultivate the fallow only once. On an average there is a difference of three bushels between fallow and unfallowed in favour of the fallow. I use a bushel of seed and 56lbs. of super. with more for hay. I have tried 45lbs. of seed, but it does not pay. On experiment, I have found that after 45lbs. the only benefit gained by increasing the super. is in the straw. I have a four-furrow and a three-furrow plough. One can have too big machinery. I reckon a four-furrow plough and a six-foot harvesting machine is all that a man can comfortable manage. Even with the necessary strength, a man will not do better with more than a four-furrow plough in this district, owing to the heavy ground. If it were not for the state of the ground a six-furrow plough would be better. The bulk handling would reduce my costs. Assuming we had a silo at the siding, we could empty the bags and bring them back again. One set of bags would last four or five years. The tariff is very much against the farmer.