I consider that the best methods of settling this poison land, seeing it is poor jarrah sandy country, would be to cut it up into thousand- acre blocks.

10776. To Mr. PAYNTER: It is not cereal country, rather it is light grazing country, and grows good wood. We break the land up and cultivate it , and then let it go to the sheep. a fair average crop, manuring with 1cwt. to the acre of half bone and half super, and sowing a bushel and a half of wheat or oats, is about one ton to the acre. We rotate our crop with peas and clover. We have grown up to as high as 30cwt.of hay to the acre. If there was more lime available we could do without this expensive manuring. I do not consider the Dinninup estate has been a success so far. Many men have left it . The country is good enough, but the Government should be prepared to let it go at a nominal charge. It has no unimproved value.

10777. Have you any other suggestions to make? —More settlement is wanted for the district, and the land should be reduced in price. When you consider that it costs 5s 6d per acre before you can do anything with it ; any price for the land is high. I consider the land should be re-valued. We have appealed against the prices charged, and a slight reduction was made. This was during the past 12 months, but the reduction was not sufficient. They are practically all new men in the district, and if that country had not been infested with poison, we should never have got it . It would have been taken up years ago, but consider that if we are treated properly we can get good results from it. My firm started out here with a capital it £1,500. (The witness retired)

FREDERICK WM. GIBBS, Farmer, Dinninup, sworn and examined: 

10778-9. To MR. PAYNTER: I have been 17 years in this district. I have 3,000 acres ,of this 1,200 acres is freehold and the balance conditional purchase. It is four miles from the railway, all fenced, and 300 acres have been under the plough. it is equipped with sufficient building, and I have a good home of nine rooms. I carry about 1,000 sheep, 10 to 20 horses, and five or six cows. I use my cultivated land for crop and running stock. I have six acres of orchard planted, principally with apples, four acres of which is in full bearing. The orchard is not very profitable, but it has only come in profit the last two or three years. I crop about 100 acres of cereals, and cut about 30 to 40 acres of hay, from which I have obtain good returns from the wheat, approximately six bushels, and from oats about 14 bushels. Last year it was a little better. I inherited this property.

10780. To Mr. VENN: I have had a lot of experience on poison country. The only way to get rid of poison is to keep at it . I refer to the York Road poison. If you cultivate where the poison has been you have to grub it before you can put stock on to it.

10781. In regard to my orchard property, this has been plough for the past 10 years, sometimes twice a year , and I find it is left even now poison appears again on it. In my opinion the men on poison country are only struggling. I think that more liberal terms should be given them. Rents should made as light as possible. There is still plenty of poison country available for selection. It could be settled if the land were given away free, provided the poison is eradicated. On these terms the land could be successfully occupied. I consider that that a man should have 1,000 acres of this country in order to make good Out towards Jays I should say there are 10,000 acres of good land available for selection, although it is all poison infested. I would sooner take poison infested country if it was good than I would take poor non-infested country. we have successfully coped with land under the old poison leases which was at £1 per thousand acres with 21 years to pay for it. Poison country certainly produces good wool.

10782. There have been a great deal of trouble and failures owing to the wrong sort of men going on to poison land. The man that understands the question will get on well without much capital.

10783. To Mr. PAYNTER: If they sold this poison land under the old terms it would be successfully settled. (The witness retired)

WILLIAM HEHRY CHAMBERS, Farmer Dinninup, sworn and examined:

10784. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been in this district for 18 years . I have had previous experience of farming in Victoria, and with Mr. Richardson of Serpentine . I have 2,314 acres of land , 900 of which is freehold and the balance conditional purchase. I am two to five miles from the railway siding. The property is all fenced, and I have ploughed 500 acres of it. I have sufficient buildings and a homestead. I grow wheat and oaten hay, and seven acres of orchard. As a commercial concern the orchard is only paying its way .I crop about 150 acres per annum. Of this, 20 acres is under wheat , and the balance oats. I get about 25cwt. of hay to the acre, and strip from 27 to 30 bushels of oats.

10785. I run 700 sheep as a rule, and can carry all the year round about 600 sheep. I bought some of the land, and took the balance up under conditional purchase. I started with £100 capital. I consider my position is satisfactory, and am worth today, I should say, from £6000 to £7000. I am naturally satisfied with my future prospects, although in regard to new land I have purchased in the Dinninup area, the conditions imposed by the government are too high. I am paying for third class land10s per acre. In the first place it was taken up at 12s. Part of this is poison country, and the balance is no good. The enforcement of fencing and ringbarking by the Agricultural Bank has ruined it. A fair tenure for this land is, I consider, that I should fulfil the conditions of improvement. It should not be charged for at all. I consider that the Agricultural Bank should allow more for the construction of a dwelling house. Women cannot live in the houses which the average settler, when he commences, can afford to build. So far as the rabbits are concerned, every effort should be made to keep them in check. The government should keep