2nd Progress Report - Part 1

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This transcription is complete

10666. What do you consider the value of improved land in this district?—Provided it has been properly cleared for ploughing, it would be worth £15 per acre. Good swamp free from couch grass should be worth from £60 to £100 per acre. I have three acres that I would not take this amount for. On these three acres I have grown ten tons of potatoes to the acre. But the clearing of this land cost over £20 an acre.

10667. To the CHAIRMAN: On the question of railway freights ; machinery parts although they do not appear a big item, cost a lot in freight. A 12-ounce part cost me 6d. to get down from Perth, and for a 12lb. part I paid 2s. Then with reference to phosphates, a five-ton truck costs 15s. 10d., but to get half a ton it costs 6s., which, you will understand, does not give the small man a chance. On produce, half-ton lots to Perth cost 13s., and ton lots 25s. The big man who can send away four to five tons has the advantage. In regard to cattle and the encouragement of dairying, if you want to get a bull you have to pay 5d. per mile for its transport.

10668. The CHAIRMAN (addressing the Witness): Co-operative methods would, I think, tend to solve the difficulty of minimum freight. The railways will offer no hindrance to a number of settlers combining in order to send forward truck lots. As a matter of fact it would save the Railway Department a great deal of labour.

10669. By Mr. PAYNTER: Has anything been done in the way of co-operation in this district?—I believe they are starting a co-operative firm here now. The big firms have treated me very well, and I intend to stick to them.

10670. By Mr. VENN: In regard to the disposal of State farm stock, do you consider the present methods satisfactory?—I consider it bad policy for the Government to sell bulls by auction. It would be better if they graded them and sold them to dairy farmers on extended terms. The poor man gets no benefit from the State farms. Unfortunately the Government looks for cash. If Dalgety's or Elder's had been asked to sell they could have arranged terms with the buyers. Where, however, the Government demands cash, the small man has no chance. I should like also to remark on the pig-raising industry. I am satisfied that if there were a greater outlet in the way of bacon factories more men would go in for producing pigs. There is one factory at Bunbury, but they cannot cope with supplies of pigs now offering. There is room for at least two more in the South-west. I estimate I can produce a 120lb. bacon pig and show a profit at under 6d. per pound. We do not even get this now in the metropolitan markets. I killed a pig similar to some I had forwarded, which went 105lbs. and I got 39s. in the market for them.

                                                                                  (The witness retired.)
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WILLIAM ALFRED BENDALL, Fruitgrower, Donnybrook, sworn and examined: 10671. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been 20 years on the land in this district. I have a half interest in 160½ acres with my mother, which is freehold. It is three miles from Donnybrook, is all fenced, 20 acres cleared and ploughed, and 25 acres partly cleared. We have all the necessary sheds and buildings, a set of implements to work the land, three horses, three head of cattle, 25 pigs, but do not go in for sheep. We started with no capital and found it necessary to get assistance from the bank, but only owing to ill-health and sickness in the family. We deal with the Commercial Bank. We have 9 acres of orchard in full bearing and four acres partly bearing. We are able to make a satisfactory living from the land.

10672. By Mr. VENN: Do you find that the marketing facilities are good?—I think they could be improved. The open market would suit us better than the present conditions. By this I mean a market where co-operative growers could sell direct to the consumers. At the present time it is impossible for individuals to go into the market and buy. I find, up to the present, stone fruits have been most profitable. Peaches and apricots pay well.

10673. By Mr. PAYNTER: Are there any diseases or pests in your orchard?—Yes; there are in all the orchards. Pests are becoming more prevalent each year. For nine years I did not spray but now we have to spray continuously. We have received assistance from the Department of Agriculture in the matter of the usual formulae. Some are good and others no good at all. On account of the rain this year spraying was ineffectual. I have never practised thinning my crop as my trees, although they carry big crops, bear well.

10674. By Mr. VENN: Do you find labour satisfactory?—There is a shortage of skilled labour for fruit picking. Last year, for instance, the crop had to be disposed of unsatisfactorily for the reason that labour was not available. We pay 10s. a day for casual labour and these men cannot pick 10s. worth of fruit per day. In regard to cases, there was difficulty in procuring these last year and the prices were too high. There was a local man cutting cases but I do not think his prices were better namely, 7s. 9d. for flats and 9s. for dumps.

10675. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have not tried evaporation except in small quantities. I find that drying pays well. I think the Government should assist in the first place to establish plants and then let co-operative growers have the use of them. I consider that co-operative fruit drying is a practicable suggestion.

10676. By Mr. VENN: Do you do any dairying?—Yes, we are going in for dairying as best we can. The cows we have, however, do not do well as I have not grown much feed. The country we have will produce artificial crops, but the natural pasture is not very good.

10677. You had a jam factory here; what happened to it?—Yes, I was a shareholder. The factory was a failure.

10678. What was the reason of the failure?—The Government did not make an investigation as to why it did not pay. So far as I am concerned I do not consider there was any reason for it to have been closed; the management was the trouble. They did not turn out a satisfactory article. There is certainly a good opening for canning and drying fruit in this district at the present time. I consider the factory should be reopened. If it was in existence growers would plant more. At the present time we cannot get prices for our stuff on the Perth market and the factory would pay us well.