Mr. J. W. White, continued.

732. I take that as an affirmative answer to my question?—Practically so; yes. I think, what with correspondence and work, it would be well if something of the sort were done.

733. By Mr. Loton: Do you think if a squatter had to put up 200 miles of fencing, he would want to employ a special department and officers?—No; I do not mean that.

734. By the Chairman: The question I would ask you is referring to the whole matter of rabbits?—Yes; I think so. I think it would be wise.

735. Have you any experience of the migration of rabbits? That is, do they pursue any particular course?—Well, as a rule, Westerly, but they will follow the feed. Wherever the feed is they will follow.

736. By Mr. Loton: They follow the feed?—That is it; they follow the feed. I think that is how it is they have spread so during the last 12 months. They will scatter out on the feed. Where they are breeding now on the point I showed you at the end of Lake Cowan, they are out on those samphire flats, and they are blocked by Lake Cowan and cannot get further. They go about a hundred yards into the scrub and come out after dark.

737. It is a good place to burrow?—A good place for burrowing. Where the trappers catch most of their rabbits is where the rabbits deposit their droppings. There are some little bare patches where there is some nice ground scratched up.

738. Do you find rabbits get over rabbit-proof fences?—No; I have never known them get over a properly constructed one.

739. Can rabbits live on salt bush or dry scrub without water?—No; when they begin to eat salt bush that is the last thing they tackle. When they begin to tackle salt bush they begin to die. I saw a sample of that in the North of South Australia. At the same time they killed all the sheep.

740. By Mr. Wittenoom: Do not they live without water?—Yes; but they will not on salt bush only.

741. By Mr. Richardson: In times of drought and extremity do the sheep die first or the rabbits?—The sheep die first, because the rabbits will eat the bark and roots.

742. From your experience of that Eastern country, where do you think the rabbits have crossed the Western Australian boundary?—I think they have crossed through up towards Oodnadatta, because six years ago they had cleared the country up at Cooper's Creek in South Australia. That is 100 miles North of Hergott Springs. We had 300 miles of country up there and had to abandon it.

743. By the Chairman: From that answer I take it you think they would come in anywhere across our borders?—Yes; I think they would come straight across the desert. In going through from Point Culver to back of Ponton's Station, I never saw any trace or sign of rabbits at all after I got three miles back from the coast. We must have seen some droppings or scratchings or something, but there was not anything to show they had gone through that place.

744. Were they at Ponton's Station?—Not exactly at the station.

745. Somewhere about?—Yes. All along here, they tell me they are very thick. The police have reported they are very thick. That is since I was down there.

746. You cannot state positively from your own knowledge that they may not have struck inland from the coast further East of Eucla?—Oh, no, I cannot. They might have done that; I could not say. Of course I have not been through the desert.

747. By Mr. Harper: If they follow the feed, you would think they would follow the coast in preference to going inland?—No; because we have had two or three good seasons right through the country. I think the feed has been so good it has induced them to go straight across, and why should they stop right on the line? They were known to be on your boundary in South Australia six years ago, right away back towards the Northern Territory.

748. You think they have followed the feed?—I think they have followed the feed, and in good seasons I think they have come straight through; I thought at first they would follow the coast. I went Eastward to see whether they were on the coast.

749. By Hon. R. G. Burges: After giving that evidence, this fence would be necessary some hundreds of miles to protect the State?—I think so, if that Northern portion is good enough to be fenced.

750. It is the best part of our country?—I think so. From what I have seen of stock coming through in such condition there must be some good country somewhere for cattle.

751. By Mr. Harper: With regard to the habit of the rabbit in breeding, you tell us that when it begins to eat the salt bush it has got to its last resource?—Yes.

752. Does it stop breeding before then?—Yes. There is an impression that rabbits will breed every month of the year. It is not so. If they get plenty of feed such as they can eat and everything in their favour, I think they will breed seven or eight months out of the twelve. If it becomes bad times, hard times, dry times, they get poor and discontinue breeding. They are like any other animal, I suppose, in that respect.

753. And supposing there was a drought in that country for two or three years, there would be no breeding?—No; I do not think there would be any breeding; but at the same time if any of that country were taken up, as I feel sure it will be, for pastoral purposes, everything in the shape of stock would be dead before the rabbits.

754. If they did not actually die, still, their breeding would so decrease?—Yes, but it will have to be a very bad drought that kills rabbits. I do not mean it would kill all the rabbits right out if there were three years' drought.