2nd Progress Report - Part 1

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This transcription is complete

returns and at the end of the year any balance in hand will be distributed among the growers.

(The witness retired.)

WILLIAM EDWARD ASH, Farmer, Harvey, sworn and examined:

10430. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been in this district since 1894. I was on the land in South Australia and was for two years at Roseworthy College. I have about 48 acres of freehold here. It is a little over a mile from the station. The land is cleared and I planted 18 acres of orehard, about two of which I have uprooted. The land is all fenced an subdivided. The value of the buildings is over £300. I have six horses, and I have a herd of seven Dexter cattle. When I took up the land I had a capital of about £400. My experience here has not been satisfactory. I was manager of the Harvey Estate here, and I took up land and held on to it with the idea that we were going to have a good thing in the settlement. I would have done better if I had gone outside the State. I did fairly well with the planting. I planted 18 acres of orchard to start with and the orange trees came into bearing, or at least those of them which were on good surface soil. They did fairly well, but when they reached about 14 or 15 years, they began to show distress. I had no irrigation plant at that time. Shortly afterwards I got an irrigation plant, hoping to improve things, and then the irrigation scheme was introduced. That practically destroyed my irrigation plant. I was not able to use it and the Government were not able to supply me with water, so I have suffered a good deal. I have managed to keep out of debt fairly well, but I have not been able to pay everything off. I would not be in the position I am in now but fo the fact that I sold some of my land. Clearing cost me bout £8 per acre. The land was ring-barked some years before and that made the cost lighter. If I had done it all at once it would have cost £10.

10431. By Mr. VENN: I understand the open channels near your estate have recently been tarred to keep the water from seeping through the land. Has that been a success?—No, it is quite green. The worst washaways have been through my orchard. They carried the banks away and we had to stop the channels. I objected to them going on that way because it meant ruination to me. Then they adopted the tar and sand idea. The channels were not made properly in the first place. No doubt the engineers gave the proper grades, but the workmen did not carry them out correctly and the channels have been badly made. The root holes were not rammed and in many places the water has percolated away. There is a tremendous loss of water through this percolation. They have just recently put in a tar coating there and in my neighbour's block, and last week in one place about 36 feet on one side carried right away and all the bank between the channel and the river went into the river. Last Sunday they repaired this by taking a new course inside some of my fruit trees and making a new channel and in the curve there they came into almost a right angle. Yesterday morning that broke away. That is nearly a chain below the old break. The whole thing seems to be a great failure. The ditch has never been made true. The couch has not been even cut out and there is couch sticking out through the tar. The tar and sand evidently was not put on as hot as should have been done, because the couch was not killed. I have an idea that it would be good if the channel were made true. The grades are very bad. The current is very strong and it rips. The whole thing is most absurd and I think the Commission should see what is going on because to me it seems an atrocious thing that money should be wasted in that way. The scheme will always be a failure if that kind of work is done.

10432. By Mr. CLARKSON: Do your cattle do well?—Yes.

10433. How many could you carry on your 48 acres?—At present they are running on about 1 1/2 acres. I could successfully carry 15 to 20 all the year round by growing feed. With proper management I could run one beast to 2 acres.

10434. Do you know the land which has been set apart for repatriation purposes?—Yes. I consider that the best use they could put it to would be dairying. If it were for sheep raising, larger areas would have to be given. I do not think the returned soldiers should be given less than 50 acres of this land. In fact I think they should have 100 acres. I have held the belief that the Harvey Estate blocks were too small originally. A man should have 40 acres at the least. I think that dairying should be mixed with fruit growing, because on almost all the areas there are parts which are of not much use for fruit growing. One thing I would like ot say is that I am much interested in agriculture, and that our department is not doing what I think should be done for us. The experimental farms are very useful to the farmers if they are properly conducted.

10435. By the CHAIRMAN: You have an orchard inspector who has told us that they have been successful in coping with the fruit fly and scale?—A good many people have never had any training, and I think those who go on the land should have some education. I would like to see a man like Professor Lowrie at the head of affairs, so that ex-experimental farms might be established and prove of educational value. There are many other things which we want. We have great soil problems, and it is difficult for us to solve them. It requires time and money to work them work, and the work should be done carefully and accurately.

(The witness retired.)

GEORGE HORROCKS, Orchardist, sworn and examined.

10436. I would like to bring under the notice of the Commission and the maximum price at which potatoes are being sold. I think it is a great injustice. The maximum price is £17. The average crop this year in this district has certainly not have been over 30 cwt. to the acre, and in some instances not more than one ton to the acre. The average price of producing an acre of potatoes works out at over £20 an acre. In some instances this year the potatoes have cost all that, but I think the average crop this season round here would be 30 cwt. I have some figures here which give you an idea of the average cost of producing an acre of potatoes. They are as follow:—First ploughing, £1; seed, 9cwt. at 10s., £4 10s.;