unable to report a better yield in any one year of more than 21½ cwt. of hay per acre. This, no doubt, is largely due to the fact that the farmers have nor been practising the fallow system and using ferilisers, and they go on to say that the average quality of land of the whole district is distinctly lower than the Grass Patch farm, the record yield being 21½ cwt., covering 14 years. Water.—The inspectors have no doubt that the water difficulty will be a very serious matter for farmers, and give as their reason for this statement that the land is very porous, the salt water level appears to be rather close to the surface, and the fact that from Lake View to 16 miles north of Esperance, although the traffic is very small, the travelling public and the settlers are dependent on condensers for their supply, which certainly confirms their opinion that fresh water will not be obtained by sinking, and there are no gullies or watercourses over the whole of this large mallee belt ; and what to me is more discouraging is that in occasional depressions, locally designated lagoons or fresh water swamps, none appear to have had any water in them for the past 10 or 12 years. From a railway point of view, also, the water problem appears to be more serious, as the very best is always required for locomotive boilers. The conflicting accounts of the Esperance Harbour as a safe port for the shipment of wheat for export in large vessels also has made me feel that caution is needed before one adds his name to a recommendation which may land this State in an expenditure that is not yet justified—for, to my mind, the land should be proved as to its wheat producing power and the water supply settled beyond doubt, as, without the latter it would be quite impossible to profitably work this mallee area. This brings me then to what I think should be done, and at once, because if it can be proved that the land will yield profitable wheat crops and water can be procured at moderate cost, a railway line 60 or 70 miles towards Norseman and spur lines east and west when require to provide facilities for economic working will be justified, as in this particular locality; we would then settle one of the largest tracts of virgin country that I know of, easily accessible by railway, still in the hands of the Crown. Therefore, instead of recommending a construction of a railway from any distance from the coast, I would urge the Government to have demonstrated at the earliest possible moment the true possibilities of this great area, both as to its wheat production under proper conditions of farming and also as to its water supply,. It would perhaps be possible to arrange with the owner of the Grass Patch farm. (Mr. Thompson) to crop this season at least 100 acres, which should be fertilised, and also farm 100 acres at the Salmon Gum cleared land, and during the winter have rolled and cleared by arrangement with owners a sufficiently large area on the average alienated blocks, such areas to be cropped next season ; also I think that No. 3 belt, which is first class forest land, should be tested, as this belt extends almost to Norseman, and is much superior in quality to the mallee lands. Bores could also be put down in various places to discover if fresh water is procurable. This work would cover a period of two years, which to my mind would be sufficient to satisfy the Government as to whether it is possible to settle this large belt of country profitably, and so justify the construction of a railway and the improvements to the Harbour at Esperance.

W. PATERSON Chairman, Raillway Advisory Board. 17th March, 1911.

REPORT OF MESSRS. A. G. HEWBY AND G. M. MAY.

To the Chairman of the Railway Advisory Board, Perth.

Sir,—Attached please find litho. showing the country we have inspected in the Esperance-Norseman-Ravensthorpe district, in accordance with your telegraphic instructions of 12th September, 1910. Dealing first with the land between Esperance and Norseman. For convenience of identification we have divided the country through which the surveyed railway line passes into three belts, viz., No.1 from Esperance to about the 30-mile peg, No. 2 from the 30 to 75-mile pegs, and No. 3 from the 75-mile northwards, and, generally speaking the class of country you saw along the main tracks is a very fair sample of the land for some