had already been carried out on these areas, that they were ready for people to take up and that they could be had free for 10 or 15 years, but it was necessary that these people should bring with them their families and stock to the value of improvements effected. That was the policy which would have brought about success. but what happened ? An interval elapsed between the date of clearing and burning, owing to which a season was lost and consequently the burning did not have effect. Then the men were not of the right type. There was a landscape gardener, a man of 50 years of age, with whom I had an unpleasant interview, unpleasant because he told me that he had lost £500 on his holding and was ruined. There was a sailor, a chemist, and a photographer on this land ; these people are not the right class to tackle such an undertaking.

12088. By the CHAIRMAN : I suppose you do not know how many of the 221 selections , nominally occupied, are really in occupation ?—I should say not more than 60 or 70. The report I will furnish you with will state the number at the time of our investigations. There has been a great enlistment from Denmark.

12089. By Mr CLARKSON: Do you think that many of those who are there now will make good ?—I think all those who choose to make an effort will succeed. From personal interviews I have had with representative men I have no doubt about it. Certainly those who do not deliberately loaf will succeed. They have had a gruelling, but possess some heart now. There are numbers of absentee holders. They were forced to seek employment or starve. A number go north and do shearing by which means they are able to keep their home together.

(The witness retired) ———————— CHARLES EDWARD LANE-POOLE, Conservator of Forests, sworn and examined:

12090. By the CHAIRMAN: What is the area of Western Australian hardwood forests?— It is not known. Many estimates have been given in the past but no definite or accurate estimate can be given until the classification work, which was started 18 months ago, is completed. This classification work has gone sufficiently far to show that the area which may be called prime forest country is very small indeed. The classifiers have gone over 1¼ million acres to date, and they have covered the main jarrah belt, with the exception of the northern part, between Jarrahdale and Mundaring, and of the southern part below Bridgetown and between Nannup and Karridale. They have, however, covered the main jarrah belt, which has been milled in the past. Of the 1¼ million acres the classifiers have gone over, there are areas which will be agricultural. I should say that when all the country has been gone over, and if we include all timbers which are suitable for preservation and exploitation for forest purposes, even including mallet bark, sandalwood, and such like minor forest produce, we shall be fortunate if we have a little over three million acres. But I cannot give any accurate data until the classification has been completed.

12091. The major portion of the three million acres of forest would be hardwood ?— The bulk of it would be in the jarrah belt and the karri belt.

12092. The next question is, what area has been reserved for forestry purposes? We do not know that any area has been reserved, but it may be so ?— There are only three reserves. They cover an area of 9,845 acres. They are all within the tuart belt. There are no permanent forest reserves within the jarrah belt or the karri belt.

12093. So that reservation for forestry purposes has still to be accomplished ?— Yes.

12094. What steps are being taken to delimit the forest and the agricultural lands of the south-west?— The classification was begun about 18 months ago. The object of the classification is that to which the question you have asked me refers. The classification camps consists of Forestry Department officers and Lands Department surveyors. They work in conjunction. The Lands Department men classify the country in order to find out what land is suitable for agricultural purposes, and the Forestry Department men classify it in order to find out what timber there is on the ground, and what timber has been removed, and what timber is coming on. The main object of the classification is to delimit the forest country, to find out what country should be reserved permanently for forestry purposes, and what country should be reserved temporarily, until such time as the timber is removed. That country could then be alienated. A further object of the classification is to ascertain what country is immediately available for selection. The work is going on much faster than I anticipated. About 1¼ million acres— these are not accurate figures—has been classified since the work was commenced. The work will of course proceed more slowly when we get further south and tackle the much more difficult karri country. It is obvious that in the karri country the traverses which are laid down to enable classifiers to efficiently estimate the timber will have to be closer together. The whole work then, instead of being done, as at present, at the rate of 40,000 acres per month in each camp, will probably go down to a rate of about 10,000 acres a month. At present two camps are working, but for the most part the classification of the 1¼ million acres has been carried out by one camp. I have difficulty at the present juncture in raising sufficient funds to keep more camps going. Everything depends on this classification, which should be carried out as quickly as possible, to delimit the agricultural and the forest country. The classification sheet which I now produce will show you the information that is obtained from a forestry standpoint. This sheet shows an area of country which has been worked over by the classifiers. Each of the traverses show is laid down by the surveyors, and the traverses are 20 chains apart. The men go backwards and forwards over the country between the traverses, and they record for every ten chains the state of the country as regards timber. This sheet, you must bear in mind, shows purely the forestry side of the matter. The Lands Department have their own sheets to show the agricultural side. 12095. By Mr. VENN: What would be the area represented by your plan ?— About 144 square miles. As soon as the classification has been completed by the foresters and the surveyors, a conference will