for the South-West in the person of Mr. J. M. B. Connor, getting a big salary to instruct farmers in dairying, etc., and they also had a poultry expert, who they were paying about £4 a week. When he went to the way they called for someone to fill his position at about £3 10s. per week.

11396. By Mr. PAYNTER: Do any of the breeders practise single testing?—None of them in this district that I know of. It means a good deal of expense to put in a plant for the purpose. Some test pens, and in this manner arrive at it.

11397. To the CHAIRMAN: My orchard has not yielded anything worth sending away.

11398. By the CHAIRMAN: I see you have 16 head of cattle. Do you go in for dairying?—We are only milking two cows, and the rest are young, not yet in profit.

11399. Where is your property situated?—Due west from Armadale. The Wongong river runs through it. The land is fairly closely settled in this locality.

11400. By Mr. VENN: Is there much settlement on the plains?—Yes, a fair quantity. Some are battling away, but they are mostly struggling. They all go in for poultry, and some have orchards.

11401. To the CHAIRMAN: There a few going in for dairying, who send their milk to Perth.

11402. By the CHAIRMAN: Are there any other matters besides those upon which you have touched, which you would like to bring under the notice of the Commission?—I should only like to say that the fruit people here are apparently like the poultry people, too tired to look after their own affairs. We have tried to get them to co-operate. The Westralian Farmers, Limited, have tried to organise them in regard to the fruit distribution scheme, but they are half-hearted. You would really think they do remarkably well, but of course this is not the case.

(The witness retired.)

JOHN ABERNETHY, Dairy Farmer, Beenup, sworn and examined:

11403. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been in the district?—I have been here for five years. I am working 150 acres. It is freehold. It is all cleared, with the exception of five acres. I have a brick house, the necessary buildings, and plant to work the land, seven horses, 32 cows, 18 young cattle, 40 pigs. I carry 50 head of cattle all the year round.

11404. To Mr. VENN: I am milking 29 cows at the present time. I supply the metropolitan trade with milk.

11405. Is the railway service satisfactory?—No; it is very unsuitable.

11406. Can you tell us what your cows average?—About 500 gallons per annum per cow. There are times of the year, from October to December, when it is difficult to dispose of the milk. Then I send the cream to the Bunbury factory. What we cater for, however, is the milk trade. At the present time the railway service is most unsuitable for this. We shall have to get a better service. Now we have to send our milk away at 6.15 a.m., and at night the train leaves Armadale at 7.10 p.m. On the other hand there is a train leaving there at ten minutes to eight every morning except Sunday. You understand that Armadale is only five miles distant. The bulk of the metropolitan milk goes to Perth by this train. Our milk is milked earlier than the Armadale milk and has to be sent to Perth by the morning train to which I refer, and consequently arrives an hour or so earlier than the main supplies from Armadale. The town dairymen do not like going to the train twice, consequently our milk is left on the platform until the later supplies come in. Milk begins to turn about six hours from the time of milking, and it should be on the market as quickly as possible. As we milk two hours earlier than the Armadale people in order to catch the only train available, we are placed at a serious disadvantage. We made representations some time ago to have the morning train an hour earlier from Armadale, so that we would only have one train in the morning and one at night, instead of having several trains at different times. From time to time you see people advocating the municipalisation of the milk supply to ensure its purity. Half the trouble, however, it due to the train service. If milk is taken into town at once the town milkman can pick it up and take it to a cool store immediately. By doing this the town people would get a much better supply of milk than they do now.

11407. To Mr. VENN: There are several others dairying in my district, and a number of others would start if the train service were satisfactory. Another thing is the labour question. To get milk on the train at 6.15 a.m. you have to be up at 4 a.m. I have hired labour and have to pay 10s. a day and expect the man to be available at ten minutes before 4 a.m. With a more reasonable train service the hours could be altered to the benefit of the employee. We have the State brickworks and several other industries in the district, and the quarries at Wongong. The men employed there get from 10s. to 12s. per day, and start at 7.30 and knock off at five p.m. The consequence is that I cannot get men to work for me.

11408. Do you grow artificial crops?—Yes; I grow all my own feed, with the exception of brain. Cows do not milk well without bran. It is questionable is dairying can be made really profitable at the prices we have to pay for the commodity if you are depending on the butter trade. For the milk trade it is not so bad. I find sorghum, millet, and maize do well. My soil is alluvial and clay. Further out the country becomes sandy. We find this country holds well in the matter of feeding up to the end of January. After this it gets dry. Sorghum comes in then, and, as you know, is very suitable feed. Fortunately it will grow on the poorest of soils. The feeding value of this crop, however, depends on the stage at which you cut it. I consider that in the drought year in the wheat belt they could have saved thousands of pounds worth of stock by cultivating sorghum. Last year I grew sorghum in March and April, on fallow land without any rain.

11409. Are you satisfied with the position here?—I should be thoroughly satisfied if the train service was improved.

11410. By the CHAIRMAN: What labour do you employ?—I have one regular hand and employ casual labour.

11411. By Mr. VENN: Do you find pigs profitable?—Pigs are profitable when I am sending away cream. They are not profitable now, but I used to find them a good line.