have been away for a year and five months since the scheme has been in existence, and I do not consider that in a case like this, appearing before a Royal Commission, I am sufficient to give an absolute opinion as to what would be the best remedy. As we have got ability in the service it is only a matter of bringing the men together and deciding.

11742. Who do you consider are the men that should be called together to consider the matter?—Men like Mr. Oldham. We have had very optimistic irrigation officers, who were my seniors. Although I was supposed to be directing the destinies of irrigation I was simply put in a subsidiary position when the Agricultural Commissioners arrived; I was then told to take instructions.

11743. The settlers might have been able to apply the water better if they had been advised?—Yes; but it would have been impossible to advise them all.

11744. Do you consider a body of settlers like those at Harvey, receiving water as a new thing to apply to their land, would be likely to know how to apply the water to the best advantage?—The system of watering fruit trees is very simple.

11745. You do not think that matters could have been improved by giving the settlers advice?—There could have been only very slight improvement.

11746. The position, then, you consider was so bad that it could not be remedied: the scheme was there and the settlers would have to make the best of the position as they found it?—Yes. But I believe that difficulties are made to be overcome.

11747. By Mr. PAYNTER: Will you tell the Commission where your experience of irrigating was obtained?—My first experience was in Renmark, South Australia. I was seven years there. Shortly after that I was fortunate enough to obtain a contract with Messrs. Chaffey Bros. to construct all their channels, earth works, engine sites and various other works for a term of three years. Although at that time I had had practically no experience I made a success of the work. It was very successful. In fact, I constructed the whole of the 42-foot lift there, nearly the whole of the 60-foot lift, and a portion of the 34-foot lift. Apart from that I had 67 acres of my own under irrigated fruit. When I left I had the care of 400 acres of irrigable fruit land. It being a hobby with me. I then went to California and spent some time there. Then I came back and laid out one or two schemes, one on the Lachlan River and others for a few private men elsewhere. Then I again went to American and was nearly persuaded to stop there. Eventually I came over here, and men like Barrett-Lennard, the late Edward Keane, and Teesdale Smith asked me to advise, and I laid out several schemes. The Government asked me to lay out the small scheme at Brunswick.

(The witness retired.) ————————

GEORGE WILLIAM WICKENS, State Chief Inspector of Fruit Industries and Commonwealth Chief State Supervising Officer and Chief Quarantine Officer for Plants, sworn and examined:

11748. By the CHAIRMAN: We want you to describe the efforts which are being made by the Agricultural Department for the assistance of fruitgrowers?—Our primary work is connected with keeping down insect pests in the orchards. We have a staff of 14 orchard inspectors in the country and metropolitan districts. We have also two inspectors in Perth looking to the shops and the markets. From them we get word of any disease which may have escaped the notice of the other inspectors. We have a port inspector watching for diseases at Fremantle. In addition to that work, there is the advisory work in connection with planting, or in connection with the trees. The later work is mostly done at the request of the orchardists, who send in for advice. The 14 field inspectors are stationed at Bridgetown, Donnybrook, Harvey, Pinjarra, Armadale, Fremantle, Perth, Perth to Guildford, Guildford itself (two), Kalamunda, Mundaring, York, and Albany.

11749. What does the York man do?—There is not much fruit grown there, but he goes to Toodyay in one direction and Pootenup in another. Owing to an outbreak of codlin moth at Katanning we had to station an inspector there for some time. We have to see that no diseases break out and gain access to orchard centres. The field men give the whole of their time to this work. The Fremantle man goes to the markets, and at times assists the port inspector. The field men are fully engaged.

11750. Do they conduct periodical examinations of the orchards?—Yes. I will not guarantee that every orchard is visited; some may be missed. Those that have diseases are more visited more frequently than the others. There may be some orchards which are visited only once a year.

11751. Are demonstrations carried on periodically?—Yes, on request. I do that myself now. We get that many requests for pruning demonstrations, which keep us going through the winter. Mr. Moody and I use to attend to them. The orchard inspectors also give instructions to individual orchardists, but do not carry out the big demonstrations.

11752. Does the State own any demonstration orchards?—Not now.

11753. By Mr. PAYNTER: Is not the portion which has been left at Brunswick a demonstration orchard?—It could be made so as far as pruning, grafting, and budding is concerned, but it is not at present.

11754. By the CHAIRMAN: Does the Brunswick orchard come under your control?—It would have come under my control if it had been left. There is such a small portion now that it comes under the control of the farm manager.

11755. Have you been successful in keeping diseases out of the orchards in the State up to the present time?—We have made a name for ourselves. We have kept codlin moth out, and I have no record of any other State or country which has succeeded in doing that once the moth appeared. Our first outbreak was in 1902, and up to the present time we have never let it get a footing in the State. We have had four outbreaks since I have been chief inspector, including one we are now dealing with at the Swan. We had a serious one at Katanning, and it took us 15 months to get rid of it. That was in 1914-15. There was another at Bridgetown. I found that myself, and we got rid of it in one season. It was something to our credit to be able to do that; of course we had the assistance of the growers. We outlined the treatment, and they carried it out. If the pest got a hold, remedial treatment alone, without efforts at eradication, would mean at least two sprayings a year. Reckoning 100 trees to the acre, and supposing two sprays cost 4d. or 5d. per tree, there is then a big tax on the orchardist, and the spraying, of course, would be merely to keep the pest in check. We are rather proud of ourselves over the