WEDNESDAY, 21st FEBRUARY, 1917. (At Kukerin.)

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Present: J.O. Giles, Esq., Chairman. H.H. Paynter, Esq. F.E. Veen, Esq. _______________

BERTHOLD NENKE, Farmer, Kukerin, sworn and examined:

8425. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you been here?—Since 1910. I spent my youth in South Australia, and afterwards came to the goldfields here. I hold 1,000 acres; 600 of which is first class, 200 second class, and 200 third class. The land is three miles from the railway, and is priced at 16s. I have fencing on two boundaries; 455 acres cleared, and a permanent soak. I am a married man with four children; two of them of school age attend school three miles away. The nearest doctor is at Wagin, 50 miles away , and the nearest nurse is at Dumbleyung, 27 miles distant. With the exception of the information obtained from the land inspector we have no advice from the departmental officers as to the method of growing crop, or the crops to grow. Mr Sutton has been reportedly invited to come here, however, and he promised to do three times, and mentioned the date of his arrival, but so far we have not had an expert in the district. I have a hessian and iron house and a bush shed. Together with my neighbour I have a full set of implements, five working horses, four pigs and some fowls. I had 300 capital when I started, and borrowed £525 from the Agricultural Bank ; to the Industries Assistance Board I owe £250, and £150 to other creditors. I have 300 acres under crop going eight bushels The latter yield is due to the September drought.

8426. By Mr PAYNTER: How much of that was fallow?—None of it. I believe in fallow, but feed is the great drawback. I plough four or five inches deep. Our season is short, and when raining the soil is boggy. We have no spring weather at all. You could not get on your land till August. Most farmers are seeding in June. I cultivate once between ploughing and seeding. The season is on the low side. Lott's is the most suitable wheat here. I sow a bushel to the acre and 80lbs. of super, and pickle and grade with a winnower. With the exception of "take-all" I have no disease. The crop withers from the root upwards. I have an eight-disc plough, which does six acres a day, and a 15- cultivator that does 12 acres, a 13-drill that does 12. I believe in harrows, but have not used them to date. I have a 6ft. Shearer harvester which does seven or eight acres. Larger implements and larger teams would be conducive to lowering costs. To put in and take off a crop costs 32s., including my own wages at 8s. a day and interest from the time I put the plough in until I cart the wheat off the ground. It costs 7s. 6d. to plough. At the Government farm at Yandanooka it costs 6s. 8d. or 6s. 10d. per acre, according to their returns.

8427. My highest average yield was 10 bushels last year. The cost of clearing varies from 30s. down to 24s. Bulk handling should be an advantage, seeing that Canada has had it for many years, and it ought to suit this country. I have had no experience of bulk handling except at the mill at Northam. This year it has been impossible to grow vegetables, but last year they were good, owing to the climatic conditions. Eggs only realise 8d. a dozen here. A man should have 600 acres cleared and 200 in fallow every year. He should have sheep on it and could then live on the land, but with wheat alone it is a lingering death. A man should get 200 acres in early himself. There are two properties adjoining me: one was selected before survey and is first class, price10s.; the other is third class and cost £1. In other respects the land conditions appear to be satisfactory. The Agricultural Bank carries a man on to a certain point, but if they carried him a bit further he would be carried on to success. If a man had 600 acres cleared he should have sheep to keep his land clean. Kangaroos are a pest here, but there are no rabbits yet.

8428. By the CHAIRMAN: What has your average been since you have been here?—For the last seven years it has been about six bushels. I may say that my credit was stopped in the town on Monday last, because when I got manure from the Industries Assistance Board they took my security. There should be a flat rate on wheat, because the famer here should have the same price as the farmer at Northam. The year 1913 was a bad cropping tear. If the Government would provide us with sheep on extended terms we should be able to sail along smoothly. Sheep are the best paying proposition we could have, and they will give 100 per cent. lambs.

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ISAAC SMITH, Farmer, Kukerin, sworn and examined:

8429. By the CHAIRMAN: how long have you been in this district?—I came here in 1912 and had no previous experience, except as a labourer at Yorke's Peninsula. I was also on the goldfields. I hold 1,000 acres of land, 720 are first class and the balance mostly sandplain, two miles from the railway. The price of the land is 20s. I believe I got 1s. reduction. I have one wire right round the property: 524 acres are cleared and subdivided and 20 partly cleared. I have a 400 cubic yard dam 10 feet deep. It