83. By the CHAIRMAN: Is there anything else you would like to tell us in a general way?—I went on to the land in debt but now I have been able to put money into the bank. Now, if I could sell off all my stock, my hay and chaff that I have there, and paid for everything I could still put more money into the bank and not owe a penny to any man. I have made it all out of the land. 84. By Mr. PADBURY: How many employees did you have working for you?—Only two, and I had these for over 10 years. When my youngest boy left me two years ago he was 21. The eldest boy was close to 40. He was the teamster and did all the carting, and I had him pretty well all the time. Unfortunately, I had to employ labour which cost me £50 odd. I employed a man and a woman whom I got from the labour Bureau. I got nothing for the money I spent on them. When the boy went to the front I had only the only left, and this couple took his place. 85. Have you ever kept cattle?—Yes. I had some milking cows. They did well. There is any amount of outside country and they used to run on that. They were self-supporting. I did not keep them wholly and solely on the farm and did not have to feed them. 86. Is there any poison in your district?—No. 87. What kind of poison occurs round a bout?—I think that between my place and Esperance there is what is called the narrow leaf poison. There is none where I am living. My sons used to keep angora goats which ran about without coming to any harm. 88. Do you store water in any other way other than in dams?—At first I had to condense it. I tried putting down a well but found the water salt at 20 feet. My opinion is that if an artesian bore were put down through the salt strata it would be possible to get fresh water. The same thing happened on the Peninsula where I came from. 89. Have any attempts been made to put down bores?—Mr. Rogers made an attempt at the Salmon Gums.. I think he went down 20 feet and found the water salt. Ours is good water holding country. All that is necessary is to put down a dam. On my thousand acres I have catchments for a dozen dams. 90. How do you excavate the dams?—With a plough and scoop. My present dam cost me about £27. I only reckoned our labour. If I had included feed it might have come to more. 91. What rate of wages do you pay in the district?—For the couple I have spoken of I had to pay £2 a week and give board and lodging I could afford to pay these wages if I had a railway passing the door. 92. By. Mr. PADBURY: Had the wife of this man any duties to perform?—The wife had to look after me and her husband. There were four when my son was there. The man milked the cows and she had no pigs to feed. She only had the inside work to do. The country is everything that a man could wish for if it was only worked the right way. I have grown cabbages, turnips, potatoes, and cauliflowers as good as can be seen anywhere. This season when I was coming away the new settlers asked me to look at their places. I saw not just a few patches but acres of turnips that they had put in. 93. By the CHAIRMAN: It has been suggested that the settlers down there should be given an opportunity of getting out of the district and going to land elsewhere. Would you avail yourself of the opportunity of doing so?—No. I do not think one of the settlers down there would leave. Why should they do so? They have made nice homes for themselves, they have last year's crop, a good crop coming on, and hundreds of acres of fallow. Of course they want a railway. 94. By Mr. PADBURY: It is in expectation of a railway that they are hanging on?—That is so. When I suggested the advisability of starting a bacon factory they all said—"We will stay here." I have promises for next May of 500 pigs. When I came away nearly every farmer had 40 or 50 pigs. Mr. Thompson, of Grass Patch, has a creamery there, and has been selling butter for many months to both Norseman and Esperance True, he has to pay 3d.a pound to get it to market. He said he would have 100 pigs ready for me in may next. I have suggested to my brother farmers that their stacks of hay and wheat should be turned into pigs. Then we have a Bagshaw flour mill, which has been a great asset to the district since I got it. Instead of having to cart flour from Norseman or Esperance I can grind it for 1s. per bushel. It pays me well to do this, and the machine turns out beautiful flour. 95. By the CHAIRMAN: Is it coarse?—No. Some of the women at Grass Patch have turned out excellent loaves of bread with it. It is as good as any other flour, though it may not be so white. I am going to get Bagshaw to improve the machine a little. I want him to add two new hoppers and to do so arrange it that the dust will be blown out. With these improvements the mill will be £20 more valuable and will be able to turn out an event better class of flour. When we get the bacon and butter factories going we shall be able to hang on for awhile. That is the opinion of my brother farmers at Grass Patch. I got 11d. per round last year in Albany for my wool. I also got 1s. per pound for half grown sheep skins from sheep that were born and bred in the district. 96. By Mr. PADBURY: There is a great deal of similarity between the Peninsula country and yours?—Yes, I do not think there is much difference. Our district is all that we want of it: all we need is market for our produce. (The witness retired.) The Commission adjourned.