Jl21 53 KING RIVER DISTRICT. LIST OF WITNESSES. Page Byrne, A., farmer and grazier, Moyhu 55 Evans, J. E., farmer, Boggy Creek 56 Lewis, J., farmer, Boggy Creek 56 Hulme, J. W., farmer, Moyhu 57 Jones,R, farmer and grazhlr, ::iouth Moyhu 57 Shanley,R., farmer,Boggy Creek 57 Mason, R J., farmer and grazier, Fifteen-Mile Creek 58 Jeffrey, R., farmer, South Hansen 58 Chomley, C. H., farmer, Cheshunt ••• 59 Farrell, M., sawyer, near 'Vhitfield 60 Hackett, J., selector, Boggy Creek-road 60 Usher, S. E., saw-miller and farmer, near Tolmie 61 .Johnson, J., farmer, Whitfield Tableland 61 Winterton, F., farmer, King Valley .. ~ 61 Gilmore, A" farmer, Whitfield Tab!eJand 62 Hyam, W., grazier,King Valley 62 Tiernan, W., grazier, Rose River 62 Kiely, J., farmer and grazier, Black Range 63 Outhwaite, R. L., farmer, Cheshunt 63 Hannan, M., farmer and grazier, Whitfield 65 Martin, C., timber contractor, Chiltern 65 Montgomery, R., saw-miller, Edi-road ... 66 Cozens, D., shire valuer, Milawa ... 66 Phillipson, G., auctioneer, Wangaratta ... 12 Vallender, J., grazier and tobacco-grower, Hansen South 74 Tanner, W., farmer, Hansen South 74 Blunt, W., farmer, Myrrhee Tableland 75 Mason, J., farmer and grazier, Hansen South 75 Wallace, W., farmer, near Kelfeera . 75 Holden, J., farmer and grazier, Ryan's Creek 76 Carter, D. G., tanner and village settler, Kelfeera. 77 Evans, E., grazier and dairyman, Tatong 17 McDonald, A., village settler, Kelfeera 78 Moore, T. S., farmer and grazier, near Benalla 78 Corker, J., farmer and grazier, Hansen South 81 Thompson,G. E., saw-miller, Toombullup 82 McCauley, W., farmer and grazier, Kelfeera 83 Colclongh, J., farmer and grazier, near Benalla 84 Graves, The Hon. J. H., M.L.A., Melbourne 84 Lancaster, R, hotelkeeper and miner, Toombullup 85 Gascoigne, B., newspaper proprietor, Benalla 85 McKay, A., journalist, Wangaratta 86 Kettle, F., farmer, Milawa 87 Bickerton, W., bookseller, Wangaratta ... 87 Fulton, A., borough surveyor, Wangaratta ... 88 Harrison, A., general merchant, Wangaratta 88 Pinkerton, A., general merchant, Wangaratta 89 O'Brien, W., tanner and tellmonger, Wangaratta 90 Bodkin, W., farmer and grazier, Whitfield 90 Thomson, P. S., Wangaratta ... 90 " , .I / Jl23 55 MINUTES OF EVIDENCEo 'WANGARATTA TO ED!. (Taken at Moyhu.) THURSDAY, 28TH MAY; 1896. Members present: MR. CAMERON, in the Chair; The Hon. D. Melville,M.L.C., Mr. Burton, The Hon. E. Morey, M.L.C. Mr. Craven, Mr. Harris. Andrew Byrne, sworn and examined. 162. To the Chairman.-I am a farmer ~nd grazier, two miles north of Moyhu. I have been in this district 36 years. I hold<2,500 acres, and at present have 18 acres under cultivation; am growing very little for market. I fatteu cattle and dairy. My markets are Melbourne Ilnd Wangaratta for dairy pro­ duce. We supply the Moyhu Dairy Company with milk from 140 cows ou the average. I cannot give the quantity of butter that the company sends to market. I send about 70 head of cattle to Melbourne every year; that would be about seven trucks. I reside fifteen miles from a railway; Wangaratta is my nearest station. I send all my produce to vVallgaratta. I have sent a truck or two to Glenrowan. 163. To Mr. Harris.-I am about an equal distance from Wangaratta and Glenrowan. A line to Wangaratta would suit me slightly better than one from Benrula, but a line from Glenrowan·would Buit me personally very nearly as well. 164. By the Hon. J). Melville.-Wonld no line at all suit you just as well with what you are growing 1 -Not at all. 165. What is 18 acres of cultivation to a railway ?-It would assist me greatly. I have managed to pun through up to this without a railway, but I am snre it would be a great benefit to me. 166. Will you show the Committee in what way a railway will benefit you ?-With all my produce, my skins, and hides. 167. How many hides do you send to market a year ?-Not more than a hundred. 16~. You' could carry those without a railway; what tonnage shall we get on the railway ?-Without question, I will get off my place an' output of 200 acres; my fanning implements are lying idle. I will guarantee a cultivation of 200 acres for five years if a railway is constructed. I do not know that my pre­ sent business pays me better than any other. Another benefit of the raihvay would be that it would increase the value of property all. over the district. 169. To the Hon. E. j}forey.-It has cost me from £3 15s. to £5 to clear my land fit for the plough -some hundreds of acres. When cleared the land is adapted for the growth of wheat and barley. 170. To the Hon. J) . .1ffelville.-The largest amount I have had under cultivation was about 200 acres; and at the prices it would not pay to cart the produce. I discontinued cultivating some years ago. I WitS getting 3s., 28. 9d., and 2s. 8d. a bushel for wheat ,vhen I gave up growing it. Melbourne was my market for wheat. I would cultivate if I could get 48. a bushel in London. 171. To the }Jon. E. jJforey.-My land will produce from 25 to 30 bushels of wheat to the acre; that is the usual crop. The land would be cuHivated to a far greater extent with a railway; more land would be put under crop if they could only make it pay. Butter is paying such a good price that I do not think the farmers will go into cultivation again unless they get a railway. About Moyhn tbe farms are big, but many of them are small up the Boggy Greek, the King River, and the Meadow Creek. At those three places the farms are all small, and they have no creameries near them, 80 they must cultivate. I consider mine is a medium-sized farm. I class myself as a medium-sized farmer. 172. To ·Mr. Craven".-The numbers previously stated to be served by a railway were 184 families, and a population of 1,004. I have a personal knowledge of and can give tl~e names of 290 families and 275 holdings, or a gross popUlation of 1,575 persons who will be immediately benefited by this proposed line from Wangaratta to Edi. In arriving at my estimate, I start 7~ miles from Wangaratta, and go up the whole way to the head of the King, 20 miles beyond, taking in the whole basin of that river, and about 6 miles on either side; that is all the country that I would include. The bulk of the people are within between 7i- and 10 miles; they are settled principally on the King and the creeks leading into it. ' 173. To the Chairman.-I am acquainted with the object of the Committee's inquiry, as to the wisdom of the constrnction of a narrow-gauge railway. I am of opinion that I would truck my cattle at Moyhu on the narrow gauge, and have them transferred to the broad in preference to driving them to either Wangaratta, Glenrowan, or Benalla. I ha.ve been informed that thoy can be transferred fl'om one gauge to the other without much inconvenience or fear of injnry . 174. To j}Ir. Burton.-I am 15 miles from W IlUgaratta. There is no rail way station nearer than that. Glenrowan is about as near; but taking everything into consideration, Wangaratta is more con­ venient for me. I would rather have a narrow-gauge railway than none at all. I have changed my view slightly since I last gave evidence. There are greater facilities for tbe transfer of goods from the narrow to the broad gauge than I was aware of ; it can be done in a more expeditious manner than I thought it could. There are no difficulties as to the construction of a broad-gauge railway to this place that I know of.. There are no difficult waterways to span; there is one, but one arch of 12 x 14 would do that, because it is a dead lagoon. I cannot say that I have studied the difference in the cost between the two gauges, but I have given the subject a little thought. With regard to any loss, if this line were , "f 1 ,I , \~ .. .. ' '. ! ' .' '\ A, Byrne, 28th May, 1896. 56 \ . ?Ol1.st~ucte~l in nn eeonomical manner, I would be willing to pledge my land to make good tlwt loss-that· ~s, If It were copstrncted lllJon Diercks and Co.'s estill1!1t6J; Their estimate, J think, is iPl,150 a mile, Including rolling-stock. I would not have the least hesitation in bearing' my proportion at per acre of.the total loss to I,he Government. Supposing it cost £1,200, or even up to £1,500 per mile, I would still be willing to guarantee any loss in my own individual eapacity; ana from conversation with my neighbours, 1 foel eertain that they would do the same. 175. By the Ghairman..-If you can get YOl)r st}~tE)lll~pt V~I'!tif!!I ~~ to the nnmber of holdings, you had botter send it dowll to tho Committee-the llames ,of the occupicrs, the Humber of acres they hold, and where they reside ?-Yes, starting 7~ mil{j~ ~!-,Q!tl W!t.ngarl}~ttl, and extending up the King beyond the termination of the present proposed line. The populatioil on the ground is 1,575.