The Royal Commission appointed some time, ago by the Federal and State Governments to inquire into certain allegations affecting the settlement on the land in Victoria of migrants from Great Britain will open the inquiry at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday 4th February, at the Arbitration Court, Melbourne. The members of the commission are Chief Judge Dethridge, of the Arbitration Court (chairman), Mr. C. McPherson, and Mr. W. E. B. Macleod. The secretary of the commission is Mr. C. Nance, an officer of the Prime Minister's department.The State Government will be represented by Mr. C. F. Knight, assistant Crown Solicitor for Victoria, and a large percentage of the settlers will be represented by Mr. G.U. Nathan, of John W. McComas and Co.
The terms of reference to the commission briefly are as follow:—
1. Whether the complaints, or any of them, are justified, having regard to the facts of each particular case and to the provisions of certain agreements between the Commonwealth, Victorian and British Governments.
2. Whether the Victorian Government has failed to fulfil any, and if, so what, obligations arising out of or under the agreements, and by it agreed to be performed.
3. In what respects, if at all, has the Victorian Government failed to fulfil the said obligations.
4. Are there any, and if so what, circumstances directly or indirectly contributing to the subject matter of the complaints, or any of them, over which the Victorian Government has no control.
Before coming to Australia, I was a saddler and leather worker, earning £5/10/ a week. Early in 1925 I saw an advertisement of the Victorian Government offering land for farming. This attracted my attention I thought that it would be a good thing to come out to Australia on the terms shown for the sake of my children. At Australia House I was told that I could get a good mixed dairy farm at £10 an acre of a capital value of £1,500. Before I came to Australia I could plough and milk. I went to Elcho for a few weeks and then took up the block, at Yannathan. The area of the block was 66 acres and the price was £33 an acre, without improvements. I was told that I could make a living on the block. The land is unsuitable for cultivation because of the drainage. The debt should be wiped off and the valuation reduced. That is the only solution. I have, since going on to the block received an increased acreage of 27 acres at £27/10/an acre. That shows that the board has admitted that the land should be revalued. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)
Evidence from Charles James Dixon, Caldermeade.
Before coming to Australia, I was employed in a steelworks, receiving £3/ 10/ a week. I saw various posters and advertisements, advertising Australia and I went to Australia House. I had a pension as an Imperial Soldier. At Wembley I heard a lecturer dealing with land settlement in Victoria. He touched on the patriotic side. He said - We helped you during the war. "Now you come and fill our empty spaces" (laughter) The second picture that was shown was of the glorious Sydney Harbour (laughter) I learned to milk at Elcho. My block has an area of 68 acres and the price was £42 an acre. I took possession on December 9, 1925. I had never touched a plough before I went on to the block. I have lost crops through bad drainage. My arrears to the board are about £2,000. I suggest that I should have more land and more stock and that the price of the land should be reduced. My father visited me in 1928. He intended going into partnership with me but when he saw the land he booked his passage back to England. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)
Evidence from George Arthur Green, Caldermeade.
Before I came to Australia I was engaged in farming operations. I was earning £ 2/10/ a week had house rent free and commission on buying and selling cattle I questioned Mr Wyatt, who was migration officer at Australia House, and decided to come to Australia. My block is 40 acres in area and the price was £50 an acre. After I got on to the block I discovered that it had been abandoned by the previous occupier. I could see that the land had been ploughed and then left. My block has not been revalued. (The Argus, May 8, 1931, see here)
Evidence from Henry James F. Jones, Koo Wee Rup (later at Fish Creek)
Henry James F. Jones, farmer, of Fish Creek, stated in 1913 he left England, where he was earning £5 12/6 as a painter. Mr Wyatt told him land suitable for dairying could be obtained at from £5 to £10 an acre. He and his wife had £850 between them upon landing in Australia. After being at Elcho farm he was shown land at Kooweerup valued at £1966, portion of which was swamp abandoned by a former settler. The board's solicitor stated the board admitted the land was unsuitable for settlement, and the whole question was a matter of compensation. Witness, continuing, said the block was completely saturated with water at one time. Officials of the board said improvements were futile on such land. Draining cost him £90. In 1927 his receipts from potatoes and dairying were £566. In 1928 and 1929 he received £929, and his expenses were £692. Owing to flooding of the land he gave up and went to Fish Creek. On 100 acres at £23 an acre he had 12 cows, from which he received £120 for the year. He grew potatoes and the highest price he received was £3 a ton. He had only £50, four cows, three horses and farm implements when he left Kooweerup. His interest and principal to the board was accumulating, as the area was not large enough to make a living. (The Age, May 20, 1931, see here)
Evidence from George Lewis Williams, district officer for the Water Commission of the Mornington Peninsula area.
As might be expected some of the officials who gave evidence had a different viewpoint. Mr Williams was quite blunt in his evidence."From time to time", continued Williams, "I engaged gardening experts to supervise and instruct the settlers, but these men gave up in disgust because they could not get the men on the blocks to take their advice. Many of them tried to cultivate an area that was too large. They were advised to concentrate on small areas, but would not follow that advice. They held Bolshevik meetings to ventilate their grievances. The Water Commission has supplied a motor-truck and employs two men to transport vegetables. The settlers even refused to cart the produce from their blocks to the packing shed for sale. There are too many misfits among the overseas settlers. They have been offered the use of scoops and other implements to do work on their blocks, but would not take advantage of the offer. They were too lazy. They also would not take advice on methods of cultivation and growing vegetables. They are the most contrary men I have ever met" (The Argus, May 14, 1931, see here)
Findings of the Royal Commission
The findings of the Royal Commission can be accessed on the Victorian Parliament website, at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/VPARL1933No3.pdf However, the Weekly Times had a comprehensive report of the findings of the Royal Commission on April 8, 1933
The Royal Commission in Migrant Land Settlement has found in its report to the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir William Irvine) that the settlers were justified in their complaints of misrepresentation by Commonwealth and State representatives in London........The Commission examined 504 witnesses at 146 public sittings. The inspection of holdings and the examination of witnesses in country centres necessitated the travelling of 10,000 miles.......In a summary of the conditions of 318 individual settlers, the commission finds that in practically every instance conditions were not such as to provide "a living and all commitments" and that in such cases the opportunity given to the settler of earning a living and ultimately acquiring his farm more or less fall short of the State's obligations to him. The Commissioners, however contended that they had no right to make any recommendation concerning the remedy or redress of any of the complaints (2).
The findings of the Royal Commission also have a summary of the evidence of 318 individuals - which gives a good indication of the areas covered by the Commission which include The Mallee, Murrabit, Maffra, Katandra, Stanhope, Alberton West, Shepparton, Leongatha, Tongala, Coleraine, Red Cliffs and this region. It is no wonder they travelled over 10,000 miles to inspect the properties. The evidence summary includes notes on training, block condition and whether it could provide the farmer with a living and the ability to fulfil commitments.
One of the men who gave evidence to the Royal Commission was George Owen. There are some photos on the Museums Victoria website of the Owen family of Ivanhoe, Yannathan, taken in 1925 and 1926. These photos provide us with a lovely snapshot of the life of the family on their farm - from ploughing the paddocks, digging potatoes to the children at play and the family at their Sunday devotions. We are lucky to have access to these photos and they were contributed to the Museum's Biggest Family Album project by Mrs Wynne Jennings (nee Owen). I have done some research to find out a bit more about the Owen family.
George and Emma (nee Matthews) Owen moved to Yannathan in 1925. George and Emma and their four children had migrated from England and, as we know, were induced to come to Australia under the Migrant Land Settlement Scheme. The children, who all feature in the photos, were William Henry (born 1914), Eileen Mary (born 1915), Winifred Emma (known as Wynne, born 1920) and Catherine Marjorie (known as Marjorie or Marj, born 1922). They moved to 454 Sydney Road, Brunswick around 1934/1935 (according to the Cranbourne Shire Rate books) and in the 1935 Electoral Roll George was listed as being employed as a 'Dairy Produce merchant'. They later moved to 9 Pickford Street in Armadale (5).
The Owen farm was located on Games Road. It was part of the Waori Park Closer Settlement Board subdivision. Waori Park and was established in 1919 and had been owned by Percy Charles 'Paddy' Einsiedel - there were two sections - Section A adjoined the Monomeith railway Station and section B, where the Owen family were, adjoined Yallock. The Owen property was Allotment 9 according to the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books and Allotment 8 according to the Yallock Parish Plan (see image immediately below) The original allocation was 66 acres and the family later on (1932/1933 according to the Rate books) took on another 27 acres (6).
The Owen's had a dairy farm - we know this from a letter young William wrote to the Weekly Times of June 23, 1928. In the letter he says they cows, pigs and poultry and he has a dog, a cat and a bantam rooster as pets.
These are more photos of the Owen family from Museums Victoria.
Footnotes
(1) John Stewart Dethridge (1865-1926) - read his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, here.
(2) Weekly Times, April 8 1933, see here.
(3) The Age, May 15, 1931, see here.
(4) The Argus, June 3, 1931, see here.
(5) Information from the Cranbourne Shire Rate Book and the Electoral Rolls. The dates of birth of the children come from World War Two Nominal Rolls, as they all served in the Army in the War.
