MONDAY, 12TH MARCH, 1918. (Town Hall, Albany.) ———————

Present: J. O. Giles Esq. (Chairman). F. E. Venn, Esq. | H. H. Paynter, Esq. ———————— JOHN MOWFORTH, Farmer, Torbay Junction, sworn and examined:

11598. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been for 27 years on the land in the district. I have 300 acres of freehold. It is a mile from the railway. Thirty acres are cleared, 200 acres fenced. I have a house of four rooms, stables, cow sheds, and piggeries, 10 acres of orchard planted to all varieties of trees, four horses, two cows, and two pigs. I started with practically no capital and have received £150 loan from the Agricultural Bank. My living is derived from the cultivation of vegetables and my orchard is just coming into bearing.

11599. Are you satisfied with your prospects here?—Not under present conditions. The way we have been treated by the Water Supply Department in the matter of drainage is unsatisfactory. In the Torbay Inlet drainage scheme area we used to be troubled by the water drained into the inlet. Before the Water Supply Department put in their scheme the settlers used to let this out themselves. The Drainage Department has put in a scheme that has flooded us out ever since. In 1913 I lost the whole of my potato crop.

11600. There is a drainage board in existence, I understand?—No, there was, and the board levied a rate of 1s. 6d. per acre, which we refused to pay. As a consequence the department disbanded the board.

11601. Could you give the Commission reason for your land being flooded each year?—There is a bar at the outlet which requires opening from time to time. Before the board was constituted and the department took any hand in the matter, the settlers used to open this bar periodically themselves and thus got over the difficulty. Last year I had to get the settlers to come and open the bar five times in seven weeks. This is due to the flood gates erected by the Water Supply Department being ineffectual. When this was put in the engineer informed us that the sea would come up to the flood gates and recede, but it does not do this. It blocks the water from going out to the sea. There is a man supervising these flood gates, but he only seems to come in every now and again. Mr. Oldham is, I understand, the engineer in charge of the work, and the scheme was designed by Messrs. Oldham and Arney.

11602. What do you suggest that the Government might do now?—We suggest that a flume should be put through the sand bar, so that the water would not accumulate. That is at the trap door at the outlet. If this drainage scheme was put in order we should be satisfied.

11603. By Mr. VENN: What yields have you obtained from your potatoes?—I have grown 10 to 11 tons of potatoes to the acre. It is too risky now to venture growing this crop. I have lost a great deal of money through this cause. When the settlers themselves used to open the bar, we applied to the department at the time Mr. Carrington was engineer, for a grant of £20, and in another year for £25 for this work. This is all the assistance we have got. Three weeks ago we had to go open the bar, and this cost us £60, and one week ago we had to do it again, which cost another £6 or £7. The Government refunded us the first lot of money, but we do not know whether we will get the second lot.

11604. Are there any other matters that you would like to bring under the notice of the Commission?—Yes. In regard to lime. When the Agricultural experts, Messrs. Connor and Moody, came here they advised us that it was necessary for us to drain and lime this land. We ascertained that lime is to be had about one mile form Bornholm, but so far we have not received any assistance to enable us to get this. The Government offered to lease certain portions of the lime deposits, but under such conditions that it was impossible to get it out.

11605. What class of land have you?—It is a loam which in my opinion made up from the wash from the hills. It is heavily timbered with ti-tree.

11606. Have you tried liming it?—Yes, with good results, but the lime had to be brought from Perth, and this is too expensive. Messrs. Connor and Moody also told us that it was necessary to drain the land, and we have been trying to get the pipes for drainage, but it cost over £4 in freight to bring pipes, costing £3 15s., from Perth. We obtained quotes from a local firm for making pipes from local material, and they were prepared to commence work if the Government would subsidise them. The Government would not render him any assistance.

11607. Who is the firm?—It was Mr. Stokes. Perth-road Albany. In regard to railage, some five or six years ago we used to be able to load our produce to catch the goldfields market up to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. Now we have to load by 12 noon on Mondays or 30 hours earlier, and this you will understand is no good for the produce. Merchants will not take it on account of its damaged condition. It takes often six days for our stuff to get to the Perth market. The merchants advise that is is perished by the time they get it and is no good. In regard to