Mallee - Part 1

Image 88
image 88 of 89

This transcription is complete

804. What was the resultant crop?▬I heard that two tons to the acre had been obtained off some of the land, and 20cwt. off the rest.

805. Was that an exceptional year?▬Yes, there was an exceptionally good winter rain. The two tons to the acre was obtained off fallowed land, but the other was scarified. I used to fallow one year and scarify the following year.

806. By the CHAIRMAN: Was Mr Lewis at Circle Valley when you lived in the district?▬Yes.

807. Did you see any of his crops?▬They were roughly put in. He had a fair crop, but off his light soil the yield was small. Off the good land the yield was very fair, considering that he use no manure. I found it was no good trying to grow crops for hay without super. There is a great cry about Esperance and the amount of money it would take to make a harbour there. Commander Coombes, who surveyed the harbour and the north-west coast, told me that Esperance was the only harbour in Western Australia for naval purposes, because it had both an ingress and an egress. One could go in at one side and some out at the other. As for a naval base, he said it could not be beaten, because there was Dempster Hill on the one side and Cape le Grand on the other. Commander Coombes took up a lot of land on the strength of what he saw there.

808. Did he write a report?▬Yes.

809. By Mr McDONALD: What was the name of the ship you came from South Australia in?▬The steamer "Franklyn". She was a tea chip and traded between Brazil, India, and Lodon. She was the only vessel available at the time that could take cattle. I think her tonnage was only 700 or 800. The captain sailed into the port by chart to within a short distance of the jetty.

810. By the CHAIRMAN: Was the present jetty in existence at the time?▬It was only a small jetty then, but has since been extended.

811. Could she get alongside?▬Not alongside the little jetty.

812. By Mr McDONALD: Do you recollect the names of other vessels that called in at Esperance?▬There was the sailing vessel "Grace Darling", belonging to John Darling and company There was another little steamer, the "Helen Nichol", which traded along the west coast of South Australia up to Fowler's Bay. She went o Tasmania afterwards.

(The witness retired.)

JOHN ALEXANDER HALL, Inspecting Surveyor, Lands and Surveys Department, sworn and examined:

813. By the CHAIRMAN: Have you had many years experience of surveying in Western Australia?▬Yes. I belonged to the department since 1901, but not always as a surveyor. I was a land inspector for about seven years.

814. We understand that you have made numerous surveys and classifications in the Esperance mallee country?▬Yes.

815. Will you tell us the nature of your inquiries and the result of your classification?▬I made extensive classifications there running from the Wittenoom Hills eastward to Israelite Bay. I had to run a standard traverse and while traversing make a classification of the surrounding country, and I had to put in a report of the quality of the country that my classification embraced.

816. Is there anything in connection with your classification with regard to the land you have not mentioned in your report?▬I do not think so. The question of salt has been brought up since; there was no question of that when I made my report.

817. I suppose it did not strike you as being more salt there than at other places. Is that so?▬No, I should no think there was any more danger of salt there than at Lake Grace, the place I had previously been at.

818. You were through from Mt Ney to Norseman to the west?▬No, I have not been west of the Fraser Range road, from Mt Ridley eastward. I only skimmed through from Mt Ridley.

819. Where was the limit of your surveys eastward?▬Israelite Bay.

820. Do you know who classified the country to the west of Mt Ridley?▬Mr Middleton, I think. I was dealing with Mr Middleton's file and I know there was a lot of trouble in the department because all the correspondence was on Mr Middleton's file, and it could not be found. My classification was lost. They were looking for the classification that Mr Middleton had done.

821. We understand that Mr Middleton did a lot of this classification but we have not been able to get his plans?▬I understood that I was joining on to what he started.

822. Your classification dealt with land to the east of Mt Ridley?▬Fraser Range road was my boundary.

823. Did you go on to the coast land?▬Yes, coming back I saw it.

824. Past Boreta?▬Yes.

825. How far is that north of the coast?▬As I was travelling through I stuck to the track while there was a track to go on. I did not worry further.

826. You would have an idea of how far it was north of the coast?▬You mean Mr Dunn's place.

827. Yes?▬I think about five miles.

828. Was it all mallee country that you classified?▬Until we got to Mt Ragged, then to Israelite Bay it is limestone country.

829. You reported that the country was suitable for wheat growing?▬Yes.

830. And you think it suitable?▬Yes.

831. Did you form any idea of the rainfall?▬The rainfall is ample for the class of country. It was a sandy loam with a good clay subsoil, and what rain there was would be retained. A light rainfall there would easily grow wheat.

832. Have you any knowledge of the mallee country in the other States?▬I was brought up in the Wimmera district in Victoria.

833. Do you know anything of South Australia?▬No.

834. How do you compare this with the mallee country in Victoria?▬What I put in as first class I consider equal to anything I have seen in Victoria for wheat growing.

835. There have been a good many reports stating that there was something in the Esperance country about Grass Patch which was detrimental to the