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are that an agricultural railway will not pay. Still, after having 

 visited the locality, and having the benefit of the experience of per- 

 sons \vlm ure conversant witli the place, we think we will not be 

 going very far wrong in asking this House to approve of this rail- 

 wax- being built out of current revenue." In other words, reading 

 between the lines, the Premier might have said : There is land 

 along the route that is highly suitable for the farmer, although the 

 farmer has not, so far, been able to get possession of it. But the 

 Government has obtained power from Parliament to buy this land, 

 and may do so. There are also many settlers outside the large 

 private estates who, as large and enterprising producers, are deserv- 

 ing of railway communication. Moreover, beyond Greenhills there 

 is a first class unalienated territory that is now beyond the reach of 

 settlers because it is so isolated from a market. Hence there are 

 great possibilities before the district, and it is the duty of the 

 Government, which is the farmer's friend, to carry out the work. 



The estates retarding close settlement which is the 

 Premier's agrarian ideal in the neighbourhood of York, comprise 

 some of the earliest grants from the Crown. When the colony was 

 founded immigration was encouraged by gifts of land, pro raia, upon 

 the value of the stock, assets or capital which a pioneer brought 

 with him to Western Australia. These lands were naturally chosen 

 by the beneficiaries for their quality, and to-day are very valuable. 

 Some of the old families, such as those of Parker and Burgess, 

 crop hundreds of acres every year, and are always enlarging their 

 clearings ; others are content with fencing, ringbarking and grazing. 

 The estates through which Sir John Forrest travelled en route to 

 Greenhills, were those of Messrs. Hardey Bros, and Messrs. Dalgety 

 and Co. They consist for the most part of salmon gum, morrell, 

 and jam country, and are enviously regarded by those who are look- 

 ing for a location to settle upon, especially as they are almost adjoining 

 the townsite of York. The Premier when he passed through them did 

 not hesitate to express the opinion that the land was not being 

 turned to the best account that, in fact, it ought to feed people in- 

 stead of sheep and cattle, and the day is looked forward to 

 when the Crown, by purchase, will be able to open the ground to 

 the entry of the producer. It is well known that a number of offers 

 have been made by land owners to sell their properties to the state 

 under the power conferred by the Agricultural Lands' Purchase Act, 

 and by the time these lines are read in other parts of the world, 

 the Government may be able to announce that some of " the eyes 

 of the country," which have hitherto been inaccessible, are awaiting 

 the cultivator. One beneficial result of the scarcity of land available 

 near York is that what used to be regarded as inferior paddocks are 

 being cleared and cropped, and the owners declare themselves well 

 satisfied with the return they are getting from the experiment. It 

 is admitted that the country is patchy first and second class land 

 being interspersed and that the second class predominates in the 



