D—4

66

JW. J. PHILLIPS.

67. Would you not get a ready market at Palmerston or Feilding ? —No, there is no demand. 68. What class of oats sell there ? —Algerian principally. When you thresh chafi you cannot get the same quantity per ton. It takes forty per ton with straw chaff, whereas it takes twenty-eight with sheaf chaff. 69. You can grow no oats there except Algerian ?—Yes, and they have been grown continuously for the last eight or ten years. 70. Cheiff other than Algerian chaff commands a better ?—I have not heard so. Algerian chaff is a good chaff, and realizes just as much. 71. You pay 17s. 6d. to cut it, and that includes bags ?— Yes, but not the cost of the bags. 72. The Chairman.] As a rule how many bushels of oats do you get to the acre ?■ —Sixty would be a fair average. 73. Mr. Inries.] You thresh oats ?—Yes. 74. You do not often cut up chaff for your own use, do you ? —Occasionally. It pays to do so if necessary, because then the straw takes up less room. It is only occasionally that we cut up straw for our own use. 75. Apparently you make £1 per ton by sending it to Feilding ? —Oh, no. For example, you have forty bags to the ton, at 6d. per bag. 76. But you sell the bags with the chaff ?—Yes, but we lose Id. or 2d. on each bag. 77. You suggest that a great quantity of the holdings which you refer to would probably be subdivided if the tramway was extended ?•—Yes, I think they would. 78. Is.it not a fact that a large bulk of the holdings you refer to in the southern portion of the Manawatu County are near Foxton and a little north of Foxton ?—Yes ; Robinson's and those places. 79. And they arc all within a mile or so of the present railway to Foxton ?— 'Yes, they are not far away. • 80. If the railway running from Palmerston to Foxton has not induced the owners to subdivide the land, how do you suggest that the extension of the tram, to Marton is going to have that effect ?■ — There are other farms. They will not subdivide very much unless they are compelled to. I am. taking the Robinson family. 81. The same remarks apply to those large blocks of Himatangi land ?—Yes. 82. You do not suggest that the extension of the tramway can afLct those blocks, do you ?—No. 83. Do you think the Rangitikei lands might be afLcted % —Yes, at Tikorea and north of Sandon and through Sandon. I mean Mr. Donald Fraser's land on this side of the river is suitable for subdividing. 84. Do you think Mr. Donald Fraser is going to be induced to cut up his land on account of the extension of the tramway ? —Yes. I do not think there is a doubt but that the land will be cut up. 85. Mr. Myers.] What articles do you produce on your farm ? —Grain, sheep, wool, and grassseed. Last year I had 100 acres of grain, and this year 30 acres. I sent the grain "to Palmerston North by the tram to Himatangi. 86. Have you ever considered the question of using the motor-lorry ?■ —No, I have not. I do not think it would be of very much use. 87. Why not ? —There is not enough running to take the whole of the requirements of the district. I have not tried it myself, so I could not say. 88. There are some motor-lorries running ? —Not for farming purposes. V 89. The Chairman.] You take your stuff down to Himatangi ? —We send it by tram to Himataugi and then by railway to Palmerston. The only lorries that are running to Sandon are Feilding lorries. 90. But they carry farm produce I—No,1 —No, the amount is not worth talking about. They cart fencing and heavy iron and that sort of thing, but they come back practically empty. They are principally private lorries. » 91. Would you tell me what is the tram charge per ton on chaff from. Sandon to Himatangi ? — No, I canr.ot. 92. If you cannot, how is it you told the Commission there is a difference of Bs. 9d. ?■ —I reckoned it up from the railway. As a matter of fact, Ido not pay freight. The merchant who buys the stuff pays the freight. I sell it on the truck and they pay all charges. 93. You told the Commission there was a difference of 83. 9d. per ton ? —I got those figures from our clerk. 94. How is the dairy-produce taken away from the district ? —Between the Rangitikei and Rorgotca. 95. That is not taken away by tram ?—No, it is more convenient the other way. 96. What do you mean by the statement, " The greater portion o£ the farms would be used, for dar;y and agricultural farming, and the produce would all be hauled over the railway" : are you referring to a new line from Levin to Marton, or arc you referring to the extension of the tramway ? — We were referring to the extension of the tramway, because we thought it would pay to Longburn. Dairying in the north has only sprung into existence recently. 97. Are you contemplating subdividing your own land ? —I have not thought of it. It is a nice h r me, and I had not th ught of it. Ido not wish to cut it up at the present price. 98. I suppose you think that if the tramway were extended or a new railway was put in it would increase the value of your property ? —I never thought of it in that direction because I never intended to leave my place. 99. I suppose it would increase the value of your place ?—I looked at it more from a convenience point of view than from the value of the place. A good outlet generally increases the value.