ings which are abandoned, but we do not like to forfeit any at the present time, because so many of those who took them up have gone to the war without notifying us.

9125. By Mr PAYNTER : What steps do the Department take to see that improvement conditions are carried into effect? - We did have a staff of inspectors, but they are now under the control of the Agricultural Bank and we have to get our work done through the bank.

9126. Do you have to deal with many cases of forfeiture through no-fulfilment conditions?- A fair number.

9127. By the CHAIRMAN : Are there any matters you would like to bring under our notice?- There are two matters that I feel sore about ; one is the removal of our inspectors and placing them under the control of the Agricultural Bank, and the other is the removal of the Forestry Department from our control and placing it under the Mines Department. The latter, of course, is a matter of Government policy.

9128. Do you know which department in the other states controls the forests? - In New South Wales the Forestry Department is controlled by the Minister for Agriculture ; in Queensland by the Lands Department; in South Australia by the Lands Department; in Tasmania by the Lands Department ; and in Victoria there is a Minister for Forests. In our State now it is controlled by the Mines Department. The idea originated with the reclassification commission (Messrs. King and Alcock), who sat in 1912. They made this recommendation :-

     Owing to the  nature of the duties to be performed by the Forestry Department,  the Commissioners are of opinion that the control of this department should be removed from the Lands Office, and recommend that it should be placed under the Minister for Mines.  It is very desirable that the Woods and Forests Department, whose principal interest lies in the direction of the non-alienation of timber country should be under different control to the Lands Department, whose principal interest lies in the direction of settling and clearing land.

The Government did not act on that recommendation. Mr Bath declared that he proposed to continue the existing control of the Forestry Department. I thought the matter was settled, but in 1914 it cropped up again and the control was transferred to the Mines Department.

9129. By Mr VENN : At the present time you cannot select any land in the South -West which has timber on it?- Every application for land in that country has to be referred to the Forestry Department. When they release the timber we can throw the land open. The Lands Department should say what land should be retained for forestry and what should be thrown open for settlement. (The witness retired.)

John Robinson, Inspector, lands Department, sworn and examined :

9130. To the CHAIRMAN : I am supervisor of Yandanooka Estate, Manager of Avondale, controller of the Harvey Estate. I am an original member of the Repurchased Estates Board, a member of the Allotment Board of the Lands Department, besides which I make various inspections fro time to time for the Under Secretary. I have with me the forms which the Allotment Board use when dealing with applicants. The Land Allotment Board deals with blocks when there is more than one applicant, whether the land is pastoral or rural, or even town lands. And any information relative to the application is tabulated on the forms similar to those I have brought. My first connection with the Lands Department was when Mr. Hopkins was Minister. I started the Nangeenan settlement in 1903 with a view to settling some unemployed who were on the goldfields. The other members of the Allotment Board are Mr. Canning, the surveyor, and Mr. Hope, the Chief Draftsman in the Lands Department. In allotting land we take into consideration what land a man already has, whether it is sufficient to make a living on. We also ask the man if he has seen the land is more likely to make a success of it than the man who has not. We also inquire what family a man has. Before joining the Lands Department I was 11 years at Grass Valley. I have been farming all my life. I was born on a farm in South Australia, within nine miles of Adelaide, and when I was 16 years of age I went to the Mid North and struck out for myself in the Hall district. I sold out there some time ago. I had a half interest in the Grass Valley Estate, which I left in 1900, with the intention of going to South Africa. When I got to Perth I was asked if I would take up some work for the Lands Department, and in this way I took the management of the Nangeenan estate.

9131. By the CHAIRMAN : Will you describe to us the idea under which you started the development at Nangeenan and its ultimate success:?- I have not been there for some years. I suppose you have seen its ultimate success later than I have. In 1903 there was an unemployed bogey on the fields, and Mr. Hopkins was Minister for Lands at the time. Prior to this, in 1902, I was asked by the Under Secretary to select an area anywhere between Hines Hill and Southern Cross as a quarantine station for tick cattle. They were supposed to be dipped at Fremantle and sent somewhere to be held for quarantine purposes. My instructions were to get a 5,000 acre block of as good a quality as possible, handy to the water scheme, to hold these cattle. It was to be fenced and cut into convenient sized blocks so as to hold the cattle pending their inspection after dipping. I found two blocks contiguous to the Goldfields railway, which would carry out the desire of the Minister. One was near Parker's Road on the south of the line, a 5,000 acre block, and the other was at Nangeenan. I reported most favourably on the Nangeenan block, saying that the bulk of it was good land, and being nearer the coast more liable to maintain whatever rainfall that was going. At that time it was visionary whether wheat growing or hay growing east of Kellerberrin would pay. I reported on the land and said that it was suitable, highly adapted