10897. By Mr. VENN: Do you consider the future of the export trade satisfactory?—I think it is very hard to conjecture. Nevertheless, I have faith in it and am keeping my orchard going for this reason. At the same time I would not recommend men to start planting now, although I would recommend those with established orchards to keep them going.

10898. What are your best yields of potatoes?—The highest crop I have had has been 10 tons to the acre. I use Shirley's No. 5 mixture in two parts, Mt. Lyell super four, potash one, and ammonia one. For the last two years I have no had any results so cannot say whether the Mt. Lyell and Cuming Smith's manures are going to make good. My last two swamp crops have either been frost bitten or swamped.

10899. Do you go in for dairying?—No, I do not do any dairying except for my own use. Dairying is a side line here with stock breeders. There are lots of places suitable for intense culture. There are some very good swamps which could be used for dairying, Donnelly swamp, for instance, which is liable to frost, and potato growing would be risky.

10900. To Mr. PAYNTER: I consider that many of the older settlers have been starving themselves by having too big a holding. We could get more out of a lesser area. We cannot keep up our improvements properly with such large holdings. The cost of improvement is heavy. I consider that it is a mistake to ringbark mixed jarrah and red gum country unless it can be cleared right away.

10901. How do you get on in the matter of fruit cases, and which do you prefer?—I like the karri case but the prices are too high altogether. We were certainly treated very badly by the Government last year. We were paying 7s. 6d. and then they jumped the price up to 10s. 3d. Mr. George merely advised us that they could not cut them cheaper. He said they had to break down logs instead of using scrap timber.

10902. By Mr. VENN: Are the railway facilities satisfactory?—I find that the railways carry my fruit very well. I have not had one broke case in 10 years.

10903. What class of sheep do you breed?—I go in for the Border Leicester. I went in for Shropshires but these are not good? Most growers round here go in for the Border Leicester or Lincoln.

10904. Is the district generally speaking prosperous?—I think most of the farmers in the locality are holding their own. If a man once gets sheep here he is all right. There are no properties changing hands.

10905. By Mr. PAYNTER: Are there any other matters to which you would like to draw the attention of the Commission?—There is one thing I would like to point out, and that is the matter of exporting fruit. Now the chief officer of the mail boats has the last say as to the condition of the fruit when it is loaded, and he generally reports unfavourably on its condition, with the object, it is inferred, of avoiding any possibility of the company paying compensation for damage done. I should like you to refer to Mr. Sparks on this matter. I think that the Government or the Commonwealth should have their own officers, whose opinion on the condition of the fruit when taken on board should be final.

(The witness retired.)

CHARLES BOND, "Braeside," Bridgetown, sworn and examined:

10906. To Mr. PAYNTER: I have been 15 years in this district. I was a sailor before I took up my land. I have 14 acres ; this is freehold. It is all fenced, and improved, and is utilised for fruit growing. I grow export apples, some peaches, plums, pears, and oranges. I started with £300 capital, and I consider my position is a very good one indeed. Since my trees have come into bearing I have repaid loans I obtained from the Agricultural Bank, and my property is free. In addition I have money in the bank. I consider that it costs me, paying wages, from 2s. 6d. to 3s. per case to place a dump case of apples on rail. My trees are from four to 15 years old. I took 1,600 cases off 2½ acres last year. I lost my peaches, as it was no good sending them to the Perth market. It was oversupplied. I also keep pure-bred poultry—and in the winter time I take contracts for spraying.

10907. By Mr. VENN: What is the nature of the soil on your property?—It is black sandy loam and is situated three miles out, on the Blackwood River.

10908. By Mr. PAYNTER: In regard to your poultry, what varieties do you keep?—I breed the Rhode Island Red. I started with with four pure-bred birds. At the present time I have 70 head, and get from 40 to 60 eggs each day. They come from the best laying strain that I could obtain. I sell a number of chickens raised by the incubator as well as many hatched naturally. I have no difficulty in getting rid of my stock at good prices. I have also gone in for bees; I find these are profitable, although some years they pay better than others. The ringbarked country has reduced the food supply somewhat, but we are on the river and they get food from the jarrah, blackbutt, and red gum. Besides this there are the fruit trees. I have been getting 11s. 6d. a dozen for 2lb. tins of honey, and in normal years 8s. a dozen. For 14lb. tins we get 7s., and 3s. 6d. for 7lb. tins.

10909. Have you anything to say in regard to the price of fruit cases?—Yes, they are much too high. I do not see why the Government cannot sell them at the same price as they did previously. We were satisfied with them, and with the price, but when Mr. George took up the position of Minister he raised the price and has kept it up. We get 4s. 6d. per case on the Bridgetown station for our fruit. Take the price of picking, packing, wrapping, and the price of paper, the cost of the nails and cartage to the station, apart from the orchard work, and then add the present price of fruit cases, and there is not much profit in it.

10910. What manure do you apply to your orchard?—Unfortunately suitable varieties are not obtainable now.

10911. Are you satisfied with the freight rates?—I do not consider that the Government could carry fruit cheaper on the railways, although one trouble is that we do not get sufficient louvred trucks. There is no ventilation in the trucks they supply. Louvred trucks certainly would carry better. So far as the handling is concerned, this is satisfactory. In regard to the marketing, I should like to see the auction system done away with. I favour private treaty, Growers should have a representative in the markets also the Government should take a hand and see that we get a fair price. We are at the mercy of any shark who comes along. Last year we were selling