would be valuable but without the railway it is impossible to do more than make a bare living. There are some rabbit outside my fence but none inside for I have killed them all off. The rabbit can be coped with when the country is fenced. There are plenty of dingoes outside my fence. I have not kept pigs In the last two years I drilled in my crop with improved results. all the crops in the districts are fairly good this year.

359. By Mr PADBURY: Have you ever tried growing root crop for goats?—No; there is plenty of feed for them. Sheep would do well there. I thought goats were better for my purpose. I intend to go in for sheep later on. Clearing in my locality costs up to £2 per acre. Grass grow three feet high on the cleared. There is no grass before clearing. Taking the chance of a railway my property is worth, perhaps, 4 per acre cleared and uncleared together. The goats give about 21lbs. of hair each. The market for this is very poor. Two years ago I got 2s. 8d. per lb. in South Australia. I am breeding from the goats and have about 50 kids this year .A kid is worth about 50s. at two years old. There is a ready market for their meat and the skin is worth 10s.

360. BY Mr. McDONALD: how long were you managing the sheep station in New South Wales?—Five years. I do not think an Angora nanny more profitable than a ewe sheep but on scrub land the goat is more useful. There is plenty of poison on my grazing lease which is good red land. There thousand of acres of land surrounding me as good as I have. The good red land of the Dalyup extends far on both sides of the river and its branches. There are thousand of acres suitable for sheep. I have no trouble with the lambing of the goats. I do not know that sheep would thrive on sand plain without close attention. All this country wants improving but it is worth improving.

361. By the CHAIRMAN: How far is your place from the railway survey?—About nine miles in a straight line. I have used very little fertiliser in the orchard. The tree grow without fertiliser. I have one orchard four years old which has never been fertilised. Vegetables grow perfection. I manure the vegetables mostly with stable manure.

362. Have you anything further to tell us?—I settled here from choice after travelling over a considerable part of the State. I thought I saw a good chance in this district. I still think the land is as good as is to be found in the State for fruit growing. There are immense tracts of it unoccupied. I have been through Mt. Barker The growth here is not as good as that at Mt Barker but I ascribe that to lack of attention in the district. The fruit is all right and equal to that of Mt. Barker and it will improve. I do not know of any other district to which I would go for the purpose of fruit growing in preference to this district.

(The witness retired) WILLIAM STEPHENS, aged about 60, Farmer Doombup, married, no children- sworn and examined:

363: By the CHAIRMAN: What land do you hold in this district?— I have 1,000 acres C P, at Grass Patch, 845 block 64 C. P Doombup, lots 6, 7, 8. 9, 10, 11, 12. I have other town blocks here, 10 or 11 of them , but I have been able to find them. I had some previous experience of farming in South Australia. It helped me in making a selection here. On my Grass Patch block I had 225 acres burnt ready for the plough two years ago and 50 acres ploughed. All is now overgrown. I have a tank of 750 yards 10 feet deep. It was made four years ago. It is full of water. I have no buildings and no fencing. Seeing that the Government assisted me to clear the land I thought they would assist me to put in crop and so set me on my feet, as is done else where in the State. They side-stepped and my four years' rent has gone. Consequently I put in no crop. The mallee here is quite equal to what I have seen in South Australia north of Adelaide, a great deal of which I have travelled through. I took up my Grass Patch land in 1910. I paid four years rent, but nothing since the Government backed out of their obligation. I have exemption until the end of the present year. The land at Doombup I purchased from E. B. Johnston, Paying him £40 for numbers 9 and 10. For the rest I made a deal with him in other property in Perth which was worth £185. The conditions started from October, 1910. For some time after I got the land from Johnston the Government would not transfer it until I made certain improvements. I have 7¾ miles of fencing, a four- roomed house of sawn timber and iron valued at £120. I have another house worth£10. I have 20 acres cleared, I am preparing for next year's crop. I have grown no crop at all yet. Previous to coming here I was mining. I built my house myself. I have three horses and a foal. Having abundance of feed and water I often paddock other people's horses. I charge Is. per head per week. I have had assistance from the Agricultural Department.

364. By Mr. PADBURY Is the water fresh in your dam at Grass Patch?—Yes. I consider the rainfall there quite sufficient for cereals. I did not go on because the Government refused me assistance for the putting in of my crop. I was desirous of going on, especially as I had paid so much rent. Of course without a railway the proposition would be unprofitable. Given a railway it would be entirely satisfactory. I have never lived up there. I did my clearing by contract, paying 6s. for rolling and 6s 6d for clearing up for the plough. For ploughing I paid 10s. The Government advanced 8s. for ploughing. I had to pay a quarter of the clearing and ploughing. That block is three miles from the railway survey.

365. By Mr. McDONALD: how long is it since you left South Australia?—It is 35 years. They were only just beginning to start on the mallee in those days. I do not know of any sample of soil having been taken from my block for analysis

.( The witness retired) JOSHUA GEORGE CARTER, aged 48, Farmer, Myrup, 10 miles north-east from Esperance, married, no children -sworn and examined:

366. By the CHAIRMAN: you have no children?—I have three step children. For some time I had the assistance of one of them; but he is now at the Front.

367. What land do you hold in the Esperance district?—I have 340 acres of C. P> with only two.