36 



ROTAL COMMISSION ON AORICULTUBE. 



MR. THOMAS C. GOODWIN. 



EIGHTH DAY, 



WEDNESDAY, 27TH AUGUST, 1919. 



PRESENT : 

 SIB W. B. PEAT (Chairman). 



SIB WILLIAM JAMES ASHLEY. 



DB. C. M. DOUGLAS, C.B. 



MR. G. G. REA, C.B.E. 



MB. W. ANKER SIMMONS, C.B.E. 



MB. H. OVERMAN, O.B.E. 



MB. A. W. A6HBY. 



MB. A. BATCHELOR. 



MB. H. S. CAUTLEY, K.C., M.P. 



MB. GEORGE DALLAS. 



MB. J. F. DUNCAN. 



MB. F. E. GREEN. 



MB. W. EDWARDS. 

 MB. T. HENDERSON. 

 MB. T. PROSSER JONES. 

 MB. E. W. LANGFORD. 

 MR. R. V LENNARD. 

 MB. GEORGE N1CHOLLS. 

 MB. E. H. PARKER. 

 MB. R. R. ROBBINS. 

 MB. W. R. SMITH, M.P. 

 MB. R. B. WALKER. 



MB. THOMAS C. GOODWIN, Cheshire Chamber of Agriculture, called and examined. 



0131. Chairman: Will you allow me to put your 

 printed statement of evidence in as read 'f Yes. 



(Evidence-in-chief handed in by Witnas.) 

 ECONOMIC PBOSPKCTB or AGRICULTURE. 



6133. (a) We all recognise the extreme difficulty of 

 fixing prices and declaring an agriculture policy that 

 will be fair to all concerned, all we ask is that the 

 conditions of agriculture shall be made so stable, that 

 out of its profits the worker can be assured a fair 

 wage, the cultivator of the soil a fair return for his 

 capital, energy and brains, and our Country made 

 secure against a repetition of tho position we were in 

 when war broke out in 1014. 



(b) With this aim in view it does appear to me only 

 fair and just to those engaged in this work that some 

 guarantee should be given (and that immediately) to 

 secure the farmer against some of tho risk of keeping 

 tho present acreage of land under arable cultivation 

 said also to restore confidence to the farmer in the re- 

 peated promises made to him, from high quarters of 

 assist* m-e in hi* present uncertain position, which con- 

 fidonce is at the moment very seriously shaken and 

 unless this is done the land of this country u 11 go 

 down to grass in an little time as it has been ploughed 

 up. I would now submit for your consideration the 

 costs of growing the most important of tho farm 

 crop*. 



(e) Detailed statements 1 to 11 attached herewith. 

 Potatoes: Main Crop, 1915, 38 acres highland, 

 93 11s. per acre. 1919, Medium Land, 

 63 6s. 9d. 



Wheat after roots, 1914, 8 17s. 3d. Wheat after 

 clover, 191/5. light land, 9 10. 6d. Wheat 

 afUr oats, old turf, 1919, 16 17s. 3d. I would 

 draw vour nti.ntion More to th< higher 

 on light land with greater risk of getting a 

 good crop and oven under favourable eondi- 

 ns a less yield than from the better wheat 



lands and unless in the fixing of prices you 



have regard to this fact you would miiu nails 



reduce tho acreage of wheat. 

 (d) Cost of growing oats per acre, 1915, 7 3s. 6d., 



1919, 14 6s. ad.* 



Clover hay, 1915, 4 17s., 1919, 11 13s. 9d., 

 Mangolds, 1915, on medium light land, 30 acres, 



15 19s. 3d., 191 9, 41 7s. 9d.* 

 Swedes, 1915, 11 11s. 3d., 1919, .1:1! fc. ;id. 



(e) Root crops are, of course, very expensive to grow 

 and the risk of growing these crops when we got Ji 

 abnormally dry season like the present one will bo 

 manifest to all and this very materially aifocts th-; 

 cost of producing both milk, beef and mutton and 

 never was tho position more serious than now. 



(f) The question of labour is most important and I 

 sineeroly hope, that the present methods of tho Wages 

 Board will not bo continued. I refer to the continual 

 alteration in hours. So far as our district is con- 

 n-rued tho men are satisfied on the question of hours 

 and do not ask for any alteration, realising as they 

 must do the impossibility of carrying on a dairy 

 farm if tho hours are further reduced. 



(g) There is another serious aspect of tho labour 

 question, the lessened output of work and the lack of 

 interest and this is in turn lowering tho standard of 

 farming. 



(h) The most encouraging fact to my mind is the 

 strong co-pperntivo movement among farmers them- 

 selves and' 1 hope the time will speedily come when in 

 this way tho farmers will be able to handle and put on 

 the market all their own produce and so bring the oon- 

 MIIIHT iind producer closer together while not driving 

 out the best fanner* as some other M stems might do, 

 I hope to see agriculture so consolidate on thene line.s 

 that in the future there will bo no need for a Royal 

 Commission or in fact any other commission. 



* Corrected figures. 



