Mallee - Part 1

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difficulties that surround the cocky when starting on soil which will not yield two or three bushels you are giving him a very tough job.

689. By Mr. PADBURY: Have you not seen the factor of missing super on forest lands elsewhere?—Not to that degree.

690. I have seen it on lands at Koogan where they got a good yield?—I have seen it at Kellerberrin, but not to that degree. The great trouble in that district is too small a rainfall, but we could not fasten the fact of want of rain on the Esperance district.

691. Very often it is in a part where there is too much rainfall. We have seen some good crops growing there this year which would fully justify us that the germination is all right, considering that half the ordinary seed and half the amount of super is used in most instances?—The germination did present itself as a serious difficulty. It was not that the crop was not very high, it was not that the head was nothing to boast about, but the crop was thin. I know there were one or two instances of 10-bushel crops. The people were under the delusion that we intended to condemn the district. Nothing of the kind. My heart bled for some of the settlers there who were labouring under such hard conditions.

692. Was not the thinness of the crop accounted for because they used half the seed which practical farmers would use?—I understood some had used a bushel and they sowed with the drill and used from 56 to 60 lbs. of super. A wide view of the question is this: that in fairly good districts where they have railways, where they are close to the city, they find wheat growing a problem surrounded with difficulties and attended with 30 or 40 per cent. of failures financially, and these people's conditions are much more favourable than those of the settlers starting in the Esperance district. Is it justifiable to initiate a number of fresh settlers on new lands facing all the pioneering conditions in a district where there is more likely to be failures than in the neighbourhood of settled districts. The Industries Assistance Board could read you a tale of failures amongst farmers where the conditions were much more favourable than those in the Esperance district where they can grow wheat and grass, where they are in closer proximity to the city and have railway and other facilities. Even with the railway starting, a number of settlers would be induced to go there with a problem in front of them of great difficulty, when there are placed which could be settled under better conditions.

693. You would not advocate that this great big area of country should be kept to waste?—I think it ought to be kept to waste until areas more favourably situated are settled.

694. You think there are better districts to open up?—Yes.

695. Does not your experience show that rainfall is the principal factor in any district?—It is a great factor, but it is no good having rainfall without the soil.

696. By Mr. McDONALD: They had the same difficulties in South Australia?—I do not think they had difficulties of a kindred character.

697. By Mr. PADBURY: There are many settlers who have been in the Esperance district for many years who are satisfied with their conditions and who are satisfied that, given a railway, they can make it a profitable proposition?—It is only just to the people that having been lured down there; the land was boosted up, there were many fairy tales told about it and the only honest thing any Government can do is to transport them or transfer them to equally good or better conditions elsewhere. I believe that if a lot of these settlers spoke from their heart they would say they were attracted there under misrepresentation.

698. Mr. PADBURY: They are satisfied.

699. By the CHAIRMAN: Can you tell us some district you could recommend them to be removed to? —I do not say any particular district.There are any number of Agricultural Bank farms for sale, and nearly all of them are for sale through financial failure and they started under better conditions. I do not say the Esperance district has not the rainfall or climate but there are other conditions. When we speak of climate we can place Esperance on a pinnacle.

(The witness retired.)

PERCY VINCENT O'BRIEN, M.I.C.E., Engineer for Goldfields Water Supplies, sworn and examined:

700. By the CHAIRMAN: You made a report on the 30th August, 1912, to the Minister for Mines regarding the country between Esperance and Norseman. Will you tell us what were the circumstances which led up to that report being made?—For some years I had noticed in the Press that the Esperance railway question had been brought up in Parliament several times and thrown out. As the Esperance country had been in my water supply district for many years I took an interest in it, especially as I had noticed statements in the Press with which I did not agree. I saw Mr. Collier, the Minister for Mines, and suggested that a report should be made on data gathering by competent men. Of course I referred more to the water supply question than any other, because it had been stated in published reports and in the House that a water supply could not be provided for the settlers. Mr. Collier agreed and provided the money. I arranged a survey party and the equipment. The principal object of the survey was water supply, but in a very short time I could see that here was no great difficulty about that. In fact, I knew it before because we had put down tanks there. The report became enlarged, one subject leading to another, and I arranged with the Surveyor General that our surveyor would classify the country as he went along, and so save the Lands Department surveyors going over his footsteps. That is what led up the report. 701. We understand the area covered by your surveyor was some 80 miles in length by 30 miles in width?—That is so.

702. And that you arranged with surveyor Middleton, who made a classification and reported on the country?—I started him and told him exactly what I wanted done.

703. Was the classification accepted by the Survey Department?—Yes. The late Surveyor General agreed verbally before I started the work that he would accept it as the classification. Mr Middleton had been classifying for the Lands Department before.

704. Do you know the present whereabouts of Mr. Middleton's report and plans, and the other documents which accompanied your report?—I do not.