218 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [25 April, 1917. 



The Prime Minister of Great Britain — Mr. Lloyd George — in a 

 recent speech, on the importance of home production, said, " There has 

 heen a lamentable neglect of agriculture. About 70 to 80 per cent, of 

 our important foodstuffs come from abroad. We must put forth every 

 effort to increase production this year. Farmers must increase their 

 outjiut immediately, otherwise we might have to choose between 

 diminishing our military efforts or underfeeding our population. Labour 

 is again partly the obstacle. Increased cultivation with the plough is 

 our only hope. We must cure the farmer of ' plough fright.' We 

 must guarantee him minimum prices for a definite period. 



" The corollary of this is to secure better wages to the labourer. 

 Eents must not be raised because of tlie Government's guarantee, and 

 the Board of Agriculture must have power to enforce cultivation. We 

 cannot allow an injustice towards the community hy a man sitting on 

 land capable of producing food. We propose to fix the price of wheat 

 at 7s. 6d. per bushel this year, 6s. lOU. for 1918 and 1919, and 5s. 7^d. 

 for 1920-22. After that the guarantee will end. 



" With this guarantee I hope that farmers will put their backs into 

 the work, and help to defeat the greatest menace that has ever 

 threatened our shores. I do not believe that the farmers will fail. 

 They need not apprehend that the State in the future will be indifferent 

 to the importance of their industry. 



" Whitever befalls, no Government will ever again neglect agriculture. 

 War has taught us that the preservation of this essential industry is as 

 important 'a part of national defence as is the maintenance of the army 

 and navy." 



Economic Policy and Agricultural Education. 



There are two, and only two, avenues for speeding up production, 

 namely, increasing the area devoted to agriculture, and increasing the 

 efficiency of the farmer. The former brings more acres under cultiva- 

 tion, the latter makes for higher yields and bigger production per acre. 

 Both accelerate agricultural production. Increase of acreage is, as we 

 have seen, a matter of increased capital, labour, and equipment, and 

 a profitable price for agricultural products. In other words, it is 

 largely influenced by the economic policy adopted by a State. The 

 other factor, efficiency, is dependent on the knowledge, mental equip- 

 ment, and skill possessed by the farming community as a whole, and 

 can, therefore, be immensely stimulated by a sound and comprehensive 

 policy of agricultural education. Grermany's progress in twenty-five 

 years is the most striking illustration of these basic facts. If, therefore, 

 a State is to encourage agricultural production, it must adopt (1) a 

 sympathetic agrarian policy, (2) a liberal policy of agricultural educa- 

 tion. 



Matters affecting policy cannot be discussed in this journal. It 

 may not, however, be out of place to express the hope that in the 

 economic reconstruction which will follow on the declaration of peace, 

 adequate measures will be framed to produce within the Empire a 

 larger percentage of the foodstuffs required by the Home country. 



