Government has assisted the farmers very satisfactorily. As a matter of fact, the Labour Government went too far in this direction. Before retiring I should like to show you three samples of grases, all of which are apparently indigenous.

(The witness retired.)

EDWARD COOK, Farmer, Cookernup, sworn and examined:

11186. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been 27 years in this district on the land. I have 2,300 acres which is freehold with the exception of 500 acres. Over 800 acres is hill country and 1,000 acres is situated at the foot of the hills, 500 acres is on the coast.

11187. How much do you consider this is arable land?—The homestead is 1,000 acres and of this 500 acres is good arable land. All of my land is fenced and from 100 to 120 acres is cleared and has been under the plough. I have about 20 to 30 acres in addition partially cleared. None of my land is under intense culture. I have a six-roomed house, the necessary sheds, buildings, and implements, 14 horses, about 30 head of cattle, and I keep 100 breeding ewes and buy store sheep. I started with about £300, but I have a mortgage on my property now. The banks until recently have treated me very liberally. Since the war, however, they have been a bit tight. My living is mostly derived from buying the fattening cattle and sheep. I am satisfied with my prospects, although I have always been short of capital for development. I have spent a lot of money in labour.

11188. To Mr. VENN: The flats on my property have cost me over £20 per acre to clear. This is good country for intense culture. There is a creek right through it. I do not make a practice of growing potatoes but grow crops with which I artificially feed my cattle, and in this manner I can have beef for the market when there is very little available. I grow mangolds which I pulp and mix with the chaff and by this means I am able to sell beef right through the winter. I got 7d. per pound last year for my cattle. There is water in every paddock.

11189. Have you tried dairying?—Yes. I went in for this a few years ago, but the trouble was to get the milkers. Farmers would go in for dairying here as the country is well adapted to that industry, but a number have gone out in the past two or three years for the reason that the Health Department regulations were too stringent. There is not the number of cows milked now that there was 20 years ago. Messrs. Logue used to milk up to 25 head and at Harvey there were a number of cows milked, but these people have given up dairying. I consider drainage is badly required on the flat country. all this land requires drainage and lime. I have had miles of drains put in. My paddocks are 10 to 15 acres in extent. I laid them out in such a way that I can drain the land in winter and dam the creeks in summer for my irrigation. I put in a concrete weir and had a water wheel attached for cutting chaff and pulping roots, but the heavy rains destroyed this weir. It cost me over £300. I consider that the Government is very lax in not opening the lime deposits in this district. In the time of the late Mr. George Throssell he paid a visit here and we asked for a main drain. He was satisfied then that they had done enough for the wheat belt and it was time that they turned their attention to the South-West, but there has been little development on the part of the Government in this district. Our own members have done very little. As I said before, lime and drainage are required. the main drain that has been put in is all silted up and ineffectual.

11190. By Mr. PAYNTER: What is the reason for this silting up?—Well, I can tell you. I know a lot about drainage. I was born on the flat country on the west of England and I supplied a report showing that money would be required to keep the drains cleared otherwise it would not be worth putting in. The rains from the hills bring down the soil and deposits from the hills which choke the drains up. The main drain is at present time banked up with soil. The levels were taken correctly but the fall is only about 1ft. 6in. and sand accumulates in places.

11191. By the CHAIRMAN: What is the value of good land in this district?—I cannot say. There have been practically no sales at all in this locality. The only estates sold recently were at Benger, namely, the Condarina Estate and Hillside. These fetched £5 per acre hill and flat land included. The average price in Harvey has been about £10 per acre for cleared country. The soil varies very much. On the face of the hills there is a good grazing country with patches for orchard and on the flat there is sandy country, good for citrus fruit. Then there are the black soil flats and further west you come into the clay country.

11192. Can you give us an idea of the actual value of your place on a 5 per cent basis of the earnings?—No I cannot. Every shilling I have spent I have put back into the land. I lime nearly all my land though I cannot get it locally. It is therefore very expensive. Most of my land has had one or two tons per acre. You cannot do without lime in this district. There is plenty near by but no means of getting it from the lakes. If the railway goes out from Waroona to Lake Clifton, it will pay all right. I am quite satisfied with my prospects here.

(The witness retired.)

JULIUS FRANCISCO ZANETTI, Yalup Brook, representing Zanetti Bros., Farmers, Yalup Brook, sworn and examined:

11193. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been three years in this district. I have 940 acres, about 250 acres is C.P. and the balance freehold. It adjoins the Yalup Brook railway siding. I consider that 400 acres would be suitable for ploughing, 200 acres is cleared and 360 pulled, 200 acres has been under the plough, I have eight acres of orchard and market garden. I have a good house of four rooms, all fenced and I have the necessary implements to work the land. 25 dairy cows, 13 horses, 100 sheep and 7 pigs. I paid £4,500 for this property.

11194. Are you satisfied with your prospects?—No. I took on this dairy farm and found after working very long hours that I could not make a living wage at it.