Development of Agricultural Machinery. 443 



particularly with advice as to the further steps which should be taken 

 to promote the development of agricultural machinery. 



The future prosperity of the Union is subject largely to the exten- 

 sion of its agricultural activities and the magnitude of any forward 

 movement in the development of our resources will depend in a great 

 measure on the proper and increased use of agricultural machinery 

 by our farmers. Therefore the subject of the inquiry referred to above 

 is of undoubted interest to the farmer of South Africa, and we give 

 the following few extracts of the report, being recouimendations of 

 the Committee for adoption in the British Isles, which will outline the 

 trend of the movement there, and may be of special application to our 

 country. 



Testing. — The committee recommends : " That provision should 

 be made by the Ministry of Agriculture for the thorough testing of 

 agricultural machines and implements, and for the publication of the 

 results." It is further recommended that a permanent organization 

 be set up for the fulfilment of the above aims, and that any manufac- 

 turer or agent should have the right to submit for testing and report 

 any machinery or implement already on sale or ready for sale. It 

 should be a condition that the results of all tests be published and 

 accessible to all persons interested. Any authorized person submitting 

 a machine for test should have the privilege of obtaining any sugges- 

 tions for possible irnprovements which, may have occurred to the 

 officers making the test. 



These test conditions sliould be of as M'ide a range as possible. 

 For example, tractors and ploughs might i)e under continuous test for 

 a period little less than a year, whereas for a binder probably six or 

 seven weeks would suffice. Field tests should be supplemented by 

 laboratory and workshop tests, and the whole should be so devised as 

 to enable the report to include a precise specification of the machine, 

 its qualities and actual performance under the conditions recorded. 



After expressing the opinion tliat the above work could not suit- 

 ably be undertaken by the universities or by a public association of 

 persons inteiested in agricultural engineering, tlie committee goes on 

 to recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture itself should undertake 

 the work, and 'that a Central Advisory Committee to the Ministry be 

 appointed with representation by the agricultural engineering trade, 

 and agriculture, and containing also a small official element. The 

 actual worl; of testing sliould be in th(^ hands of qualified technical 

 officers. 



As a Ijeginniiig:, it is proposed to use the facilities existing at 

 Agricultural Institutions, or any other that can be made available 

 elsewhere. At a later date a special testing station may be necessary. 



Trials. — The committee recommends that State recognition should 

 be given to properly conducted trials of agricultural machinery 

 •organized by Agricultural Societies or Trade Associations. 



Inventions. — The Ministry of Agriculture should provide for 

 advice to inventors of new ag-ricultural machines and implements, and 

 for assistance in selected cases in the preparation of drawings, work- 

 ing models, or experimental machines. 



Inforinaiion. — The Ministr\' of Agriculture should establish an 

 information bureau for the collection, classification, and collation of 

 information relating to agricultural machinery and implements. 



