have no difficulty in placing that stuff locally.  Since the war started there has not been the opportunity of selling second grade fruit and it has gone waste.

10580.Do you know anything of the process evaporation? —No.

10581. Can you suggest anything at all that could be done to assist the fruit growers of the State to successfully market the inferior portion of their products.? —I think the evaporation establishments at Mt. Barker and Bridgetown are a step in the right direction

10582. Do you experience any difficulties in regard to cases? —Not now . Last year it was impossible to obtain them at all. I do not think there will be any difficulty now. The price, too must be considered satisfactory. We get a good article both the State Sawmills and Millers, especially the collapsible case which is manufactured by the State Mills. It is equal to the sift wood case made before the war at a similar price. We are paying 10s 6d. a dozen for collapsible cases. Before the war we had soft wood cases at anything from 9½d. to 1s and those cases took more nails than the other do.

10583.By Mr. CLARCKSON: It has been suggested that growers' costs would be reduced? —I would not be in favour of that, because it be the means of spreading disease.

10584. Do you think the suggestion that case could be properly fumigated in trucks before being sent back is a practicable one? —I think that could be relied upon. Growers in a large way would not have second hand cases, because they went to study the appearance of the fruit . The unseasoned karri cases have been tried, but they have not prove satisfactory. That wood discoloured the fruit and it warps very much. The seasoned collapsible case is a very good one.

10585. By Mr PAYNTER: Do you find that the trees sold are true to name and are satisfactory? —There is a fair amount of trouble in regard to that but we must make allowance. That sort of thing must happen. Trees will get mixed up.

10586. Do you think it is sufficient importance to warrant the Government bringing in an Act to regulate the sale of young trees? —I think so. You would not hurt the honest nurseryman and you would afford protection to the grower. It is very unsatisfactory to a grower to find that, after waiting five years he has something he does not want. I ordered trees from a local firm and when they came into bearing found that some of them were a small orange. The trees were over bearing in one year and gave nothing in the next year, and the fruit which was produced was not worth 2s. a case, whereas I got 6s and 7s. for the Washingtons.. It is very easy, however, for the nurseryman to make a mistake.

10587. By Mr. CLARKSON: Have you found that the Agricultural Department officer have been of assistance. The officers employed by the irrigation Department have perhaps been most courteous and of great assistance. I think Mr. Scott and Mr. Clifton have been great help to all those who have gone in for irrigation. the Government take levels free of charge and grade your land for a nominal fee.

10588. By Mr, VENN: Do you understand dairying? — We milk six cows.

10589. Do you think more farmers will go in for a dairying ? — I think they will while the price remains good. The increase in price has done more for dairying than the Government could ever do. We have a large household. We employ two men and there are about 10 in the family. We use a large quantity of butter and only milk our cows once a day. We send cream to Macfarlanes, and the cheque has been £5 a month.

10590. Have you gone in potato growing? —Not lately, but I have done so. I was fairly successful, but I think the settler will require a fair average price in order to make the industry flourish. Anyone who can do without them should leave them severely alone. I think a man should get £6 per ton in order to make potato growing profitable and there would not be much in it at that.

10591. Is there any other matter to which you would like to refer? —The bulk of my land is essentially poor. There is a lot of that country in the south-west and I would draw attention to the fact that we have to rely absolutely on fertilisers. If you were to shut up the Mt. Lyall company and Cuming Smith's, all the poor country here would cease to be productive. That will show you how we rely on fertilisers, so that everything you can do to cheapen the cost of fertilisers will help us more than anything else. There must be a supply at a reasonable price. If the State should manufacture it, it should do so. I am not in favour of State monopolies, but that is the one which I think would be justified. It is an intolerable position that we should have to rely on two companies whose first duty is to their shareholders,

(The witness retired)

CHARLES PRICE BOURNE, Farmer and Orchardist, Capel, sworn examined:

10592. To Mr. CLARKSON: I have been 17 years in the district, and hold 110 acres of land. I go in for fruit growing and Lucerne growing. I have 16 acres under orchard, and grow apples, peaches, plums, and a few oranges. The most successful fruit I have grown is the apple. I have been taking off from 1,000 to 1,200 cases. It cost about 3s 6d per case to grow apples. I have only two or three cows and we make butter. What we do not use we sell locally, and get from 1s. to 1s. 6d. a lb., but I rely on the orchard for my livelihood. I market Lucerne, and get from £6 10s. up to £13 10s for it. The year before last I got a higher price. I have 16 acres of Lucerne. Last year I sold about 20 tons. I cut three to four times a year. It is profitable; there is nothing better than it. There are no diseases in it . There is no dodder amongst it, but I have seen dodder on the river. There is always a demand for Lucerne. I was asked to send up pressed hay, but I found I could not get enough into the trucks to the make up the minimum weight, and decided to chaff it . There is a good demand for it but there is the job of getting it into bales. There are other small patches grown in other parts of the district. Mr. Layman is growing it, but it is on poor ground. You