Part 9

Page 673
image 38 of 100

This transcription is complete

last seven years has been from 14 to 16 bushels of wheat and 25 of oats. The average cost of cropping is from 20s. to 25s. exclusive of seed, super, bags, and depreciation of plant. I do not think bulk handling would reduce our costs. The installation of the system would be too expensive. I think the tariff is too high altogether. It should be protective and not prohibitive.

9847. To Mr PAYNTER: I do not believe in the wheat pool. I have not received any assistance from the officials or experts of the Agricultural Department. I think a man to make a living should hold at least 1,000 acres in this district. He should have 250 acres cleared before he gest his plant. I think our present land laws quite satisfactory.

9848. To Mr VENN : I got 19d. for my wool. I am in favour of the Merino Border Leicester cross. I do not sell fat lambs. I can get a good market for therm as store lambs. I have not been going in for chaff during the last two or three years. This district is better suited to oats than to wheat. We can produce the finest apples in the world, but there is no market for them. It would be a great boon to the people here if we had a jam or cider factory. I do not think open air drying is possible in this district. I think dairying will pay in this district, but up to the present sheep have paid better than cows. Our only hindrance to progress has been the poison and the lack of back roads by which to bring produce to market. In scrub country, after ringing, the carrying capacity is one sheep to five acres; on cultivated country I have carried 2,000 sheep on 3,209 acres all the year round. The most satisfactory way of eradicating the poison is to clear the whole of the land and plough it. Without greater Government assistance, the local roads board cannot afford to provide back roads for the far out settlers. Again, there is insufficient information given to a new settler. There should be an information bureau or local board of advice for new settlers. It would save those men broken hearts and thousands of pounds. The board should be elective. There is a lot of land in this district still awaiting settlement. Some of our poison could be cleared for 2s. 6d. an acre, while on the other hand some would cost £ 2. I think our new settlers are doing very poorly. They have been overcharged for the land and have suffered from lack of advice in handling poison. There are no dingoes in the district. Many of the settlers who have appealed for repricing have been discouraged with absurdly small reductions.

9849. By Mr CLARKSON: Have you any suggestions as to what the State could do to encourage the industry?— Provision should be made for the eradicating of poison on roads. The roads boards has no power to spend ratepayers money in this way. Our only resource is to go to the Minister and beg for a special grant. Some provision should be made for this work. The Government should clear the road and throw upon abutting settlers the onus of maintaining the road in clean condition. Again, more assistance should be given for the making of new roads. Mr Bastow adopted the advice of the Agricultural Bank and fenced with rod wire and droppers, with the result that he lost more to wild dogs than wire netting would have cost. It is in cases like this that the local advisory board would justify itself.

(The witness retired)

WALTER BRICE HAGGARTY, farmer, Kojonup, sworn and examined;

9850. To Mr CLARKSON: I have been 13 years in the district. I had experience in South Australia. I hold 4,500 acres, of which very little is first class. Pretty well all of it had poison on it. I have eradicated mots of it. The average cost of eradication has been approximately 5s., the highest being 8s. 6d., to say nothing of losses in sheep and keeping down seedlings. I have about 1,000 acres cleared. I generally crop 350 acres. We require five acres of land in its natural state to one sheep. The normal average is nine or ten bushels of wheat and 14 bushels of oats. Cropping costs about 25s. per acre, exclusive of carting. I believe in fallow. It is more reliable than other methods. I think bulk handling would reduce the costs to the farmer. I would cart to the siding with a tank on a wagon. I think farming implements should come in duty free.

9851. To Mr PAYNTER : I favour the continuance of the wheat pool. We had Mr Connor here lecturing a few years ago. That is all the benefit we have had in this district from the experts of the Agricultural Department. I pickle and grade my wheat. A man should have 3,000 to 4,000 acres to do any good with sheep. To warrant the purchase of implements and horses a man should have 900 acres cleared. With the recent reduction on the poison land , I think the land laws fairly satisfactory. It costs me 6d. per acre per annum to keep down poison seedlings. This in itself is sufficient rent for a man to pay in this district. The worst of the poison country could well be given away on improvement conditions.

9852. To Mr VENN : My brother tried dairying and concluded it was a failure. He was too far from a railway. One must grow green fodder for cows. Once the green feed has gone the milk has gone. Not all the country is suitable to green fodder. In favoured spots we could feed on green fodder from March till the end of November. Crossbred Merinos with Border Leicesters give the best results. I get 1s. 6½d. for the best of my wool. We cut a fair bit of chaff. We have found difficulty with the railway sheets this year. Again, we could not get the trucks for our chaff. Lately I had difficulty in getting trucks for sheep. That is the first trouble I have had over stock trucks. We generally send our chaffon the market.

9853. To Mr PAYNTER : Generally speaking , I would sooner sell by private treaty than by auction.

9854. By Mr CLARKSON : Have you any suggestions to make for the betterment of the industry?— There has been a good reduction on certain blocks, but on others no reductions have been allowed. In one case we have had a block forfeited in consequences. I do not think any inspection is made of an applicant's block. The department seems to be content with the neighbour's report as to the cots of eradication of poison. I know of a block on the Black wood road belonging to Mr Pearson. They charged him 12s. 6d. He applied and had it reduces to 9s. The block is hardly worth bothering about at any price. Poison is a menace not only to the farmer who has it, but to his neighbors. Poison on the roadside is especially dangerous.

(The witness retired)