FURTIIKR PROVISIONS OF TIIK CORN PRODUCTION ACT I917 75 



The average price for the wheat or oats of any year is defined as the 

 average price for the seven months beginning on the first da}^ of September, 

 and is to be calculated from all the weekly averages for those months. 

 Such weekly average prices of wheat and oats are to be ascertained in ac- 

 cordance with the Corn Returns Act, 1882. The Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries will, as soon as possible after the end of March in any 3"ear, cause 

 the average price of v/heat and oats for the preceding year to be published 

 in the " I^ondon Gazette ". 



The occupier of any land is defined for the purposes of the Act as the 

 person who occupies on the first day of September in any ^'ear the land on 

 which the grain in question is in that year produced. 



No p;n'mc)its under this part of the Act in respect of any wheat or 

 oats sold will be made unless the Board of Agriculture be convinced that the 

 grain has been delivered in pursuance of the sale. All claims for such pay- 

 ments must be made to the board which will solely and finally determine 

 with respect to them. Any person making a false statement or represen- 

 tation in order to obtain such" a payment is liable on summar}' conviction 

 to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding six 

 months. 



§ 2. Power to Enforce Proper cuetivation. 



The provisions in the first three parts of the Act as to minimum wages, 

 rents and minimum prices seek to ensure that farming is profitable to the 

 farmer. The fourth part of the Act is directed against the farmer to whose 

 activity the guarantee of a fair profit is not a sufficient stimulus. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries may, if they consider that any 

 land is not being cultivated to the best interests of the country, serve a no- 

 tice on the occupier requiring him to cultivate it in accordance with their 

 directions. If he fail to do this, the board may, if he be owner of the 

 land, enter on it and take any steps they think necessary for its adaptation 

 or cultivation, all for such time as they think fit. If the recalcitrant occupier 

 be a tenant the board may make such order as they deem to be necessary, 

 either authorizing the landlord to determine the tenanc}^ as they require, or 

 themselves determining the tenancy, or directing that the tenancy be conti- 

 nued but that any covenant or condition of the contract thereof which 

 seems to them to interfere with the required cultivation of the land be 

 suspended. Any such order of the board will have effect as though it 

 were contained in the contract of tenancy. It may include provisions 

 adjusting the relations between tenant and landlord where tenancy is 

 determined, or securing payments or other benefits to the landlord where 

 tenancy is suspended. 



No penalty in the shape of an increase of rent or otherwise will be incur- 

 red by a tenant, whatever be his contract of tenancy, for any action which 

 the board certify that he has taken reasonably in order to carry out their 

 directions. 



On withdrawing from possession of land on which they have entered 



