cuts we have produced 15 feet of crop. I consider that this should be a great thing in the south-west. As previously remarked, we have grown a lot of oats in the past, and find the cattle do well on it. They waste nothing.

11348. You have a fig plantation; how has that turned out?—Very well. So well, in fact, that we intend to put in further acreages. Cattle and sheep do wonderfully well on the fruit, and on the leaves also.

11349. By Mr. CLARKSON: Do you think that any of the men who settled here immediately previous to the war are doing any good?—The cost of everything has been a tremendous handicap to them, so that you will understand that men with limited means cannot make headway at these times. Prior to the war even the men who had been established some time did not do as well as I should like to have seen them do. In the West Coolup area they have not succeeded. Limited means has been the principal reason for a great number of failures. These men, instead of farming, are going in for small areas of fruit and vegetables.

11350. To the CHAIRMAN: The drains that the Government have put in are too shallow; also there are not sufficient drains put down. You have to clear, drain, and cultivate your land before you can get it under grass.

11351. What is the cost of clearing?—Some of our land has been done for as low as £2 or £3 per acre, but the contractors have refused to clear now at £8 per acre. They want, for some of it, £12 per acre. I could not give you an average, for the reason that the clearing has been done gradually, and it would be hard to arrive at. I may say that the use of explosives reduces the cost tremendously. Old country that has been ringbarked can be cleared in fairly heavy timber country with explosives for from £5 to £6 per acre. On the other hand, I know some country that has cost £22 per acre to clear. The red gum country is easy, but the jarrah is hard to burn. Referring again to fertilisers, I should like to mention that I have gone into the matter with the fertiliser firms, Mt. Lyell in particular. The ordinary superphosphate is far too soluble for this class of country. To get the water off our land we have to drain it, and it is considered that 75 per cent. of the value of the fertiliser is lost. As a result of my representations, the firms advise that they can supply us with a fertiliser for use in the South-West that is not so soluble. Another thing is the difficulty in getting superphosphate to run freely, and I complained to the firms on this point also. They have as a consequence agreed to supply us with a dry super. to be specially prepared for the South-West. Down here we do not start drilling until June or July, and we find it is hard to get the super. to run through the machine. They say they have no difficulty in overcoming this. We shall be able to make a test of the specially prepared stuff this year.

(The witness retired.)

The Commission adjourned.

THURSDAY, 14TH FEBRUARY, 1918. (At Serpentine.)

Present: J. O. Giles, Esq., Chairman. H. H. Paynter. Esq., | F. E. Venn, Esq.

JOHN HAROLD MAXWELL LAW, Farmer, Serpentine, sworn and examined.

11352. To the CHAIRMAN: I have been ten years in this district. I have 550 acres, 100 acres freehold and the balance conditional purchase. It is three miles from the railway station. I consider 20 acres of this is first-class land. It is all fenced, 100 acres cleared and 100 partly cleared; 100 acres have been under cultivation. I have two acres of orchard, and also grow fodder crops for my stock. I have a house with six rooms, the necessary buildings, and implements, six horses, five head of cattle, 100 sheep, and three pigs. My land is principally devoted to the breeding of stud sheep, the cultivation of lucerne, and dairying in a small way.

11353. By Mr. VENN: How many cows do you milk?—Four.

11354. How do you dispose of the produce?—We convert it into butter. I may say I have only just commenced dairying, and the few cows that I have have been returning on average 7lbs. of butter per cow per week. They are fed principally on lucerne. I intend to go in for dairying on a much larger scale. A lot of my neighbours intend to do likewise. Generally speaking, the settlers round here are keeping more cows than they used to.

11355. Do you consider this is a good dairying district?—Yes; I consider that this will be the main industry here.

11356. To Mr. PAYNTER: The natural pasture is poor, but so far as I am concerned I have about 200 acres of good hill country carrying clovers. I