MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



71 



2 September, 1919.] 



ME. R. COLTON Fox. 



[Continued. 



have doue nothing about that at all. It has to be 

 fixed on the world prices ; and if this Commission finds 

 out what it costs per acre in England, and compares 

 the present prices; if the world prices diopped you 

 would have to keep ours in ratio to theirs. 



7201. You see, the world prices to-day, judging by 

 the import price we are paying, which is something 

 like 100s. a quarter for wheat, puts that out of the 

 question. The guaranteed price bears no relation 

 whatever to that to-day? No. 



7202. In the future, if the world prices drop very 

 substantially, can you suggest how the guarantee is 

 to be fixed? Suppose, for instance, in a year's time 

 the price of foreign corn was to go down below 45s., 

 and coupled with that there is the fact that under 

 the Corn Production Act as it stands to-day the only 

 guarantee for the farmer next year is 45s. a quarter 

 for wheat, what is the position of the Malton farmer? 

 'He cannot do it. 



7203. It means bankruptcy to him, docs it!-- Yes. 

 he would give it up. 



7204. Then there must be a guarantee above 45s.? 

 There must. 



!-> <~>. Can you at all help us as to how the amount 

 of that guarantee should be arrived at, so as to vary 

 with tho cost of labour, say? The guarantee for next 

 year I suggested should be 90s. 



720C. I am going to ask you one or two questions on 

 that? It is based on the fertilisers and labour as to- 

 day. 



7207. Before coming to the particular figures, I have 

 one or two questions to ask about that. Can you 

 suggest at all fiom what you know of the views of the 

 farmers in your part of the East Riding of Yorkshire, 

 whether it would be possible to have a guarantee vary- 

 in.; with the rate of wages, say?- --If it varied it would 

 mean that wages would drop. 



7208. Not necessarily. If wages go up, according to 

 your evidence, the guarantee would have to go up, 

 too? Yes; if wages go up, the guarantee would have 

 to go up. 



7209. But can you arrive at any proportion of the 

 cost of wheat growing, between labour and the actual 

 cost of the finished article? That is what it comes to. 

 Does it vary in any constant ratio at all? No. You 

 see, taking the average of last year at 42s. a week 

 and the present one of 47s., it is 6s. a week more. 

 It only affects the different operations to a very 

 small extent; but it would make 5s. an acre difference 

 for ploughing. 



7210. But you cannot tell us how much a quarter 

 that would work out to? No; at present it does not 

 make much difference. If you go over the present 

 level of 5s. a week, it does not affect the quarter so 

 much. 



7-211. If you have not considered it, say so. I think 

 it would ; because labour enters into every process 

 employed, from the ploughing at tho very beginning 

 to the application of the dung, and right away to the 

 carting of the wheat to the station. It comes in 

 every item:- Yes, it does; but it depends upon how 

 much a week it goes up. You see we have gone up 

 1 in 12 months. 



7212. You were asked one or two questions about the 

 rent. As a matter of fact, has the rent varied at all 

 in the last 4 or 5 years? The rent has not varied, 

 or not with me, at all. 



7213. Has it been prevented by the very Act of 

 Parliament I have mentioned from being increased? 

 There has been no increase at all. 



7214. So that the rent does not vary? No. 



721",. (Joining to the actual details, are these figures 



that you put before us tak"M from your own books? 



Yes. 



7216. Are they actual costs not estimated costs? 



Which figures are you referring to? 



7217. T have only om- get: \Vln>al. .V. aeres. and 

 actual co.<-t per acre. CIO 17s. IM.? TlieV an- actual 



ions, and (lie aitual cnsr at to-day's pric 

 labour. 



7V!I. For what y.wir? The harvest. 1919. 



7'21 9. Taking the first item of wheat, 51, ;,. 



!7s. Hd.. do T iimWsi;,n<l that that is wheat 

 grown nftor Dome "f!,,i cro|i? Yes; it is wheat after 

 oata. 



7220. So that there is only one ploughing there? 

 That is all. 



7221. Do you tell us that one ploughing is enough 

 on the average to grow wheat in your county?- -It is, 

 unless you are taking it on a dirty old stubble. We 

 usually follow wheat after oats. 



7222. What is your rotation? Roots, barley, seeds, 

 then pats, and then wheat. 



7223. I thought the wheat came first? Is not the 

 oats often a dirty stubble? It depends whether it has 

 been two or three crops. 



7224. And you grow the wheat on that? If it is 

 dirty we have to work it about the best we can and 

 burn the wicks in the autumn. 



7225. It is light land, and you can get the wicks 

 out? Yes. 



7226. You tell us that you can grow wheat with once 

 ploughing on the average? Yes. 



7227. And even in spite of that advantage, you tell 

 us the average cost of growing wheat is 90s. a quarter ? 

 Of course, I did not know whether I was to take a 

 survey of the whole of the country as well as our own 

 district. 



7228. No. I understand you are speaking of your 

 own district about Malton ? Of course in my own dis- 

 trict the 90s. would seem rather high. 



7229. That is what I want to get at. Is the 90s. for 

 your own farm or your own district? I should say 

 that on my own figures 90s. was too high. 



7230. Do you mean too high for your own farm, or 

 too high for your district ? Too high for my own farm. 



7231. Then why did you tell us that 90s. was the 

 amount you thought the guarantee should be put at? 

 Because I was not thinking of just my own farm. 



7232. You were thinking of other parts of the 

 country ? 1 was thinking of the whole country. 



7233. Where the ability to grow wheat is worse than 

 in your part. Is that it? That is so; in Essex, for 

 instance. 



7234. We shall have other witnesses about that. 

 Will you deal with your own county, please. What 

 is the cost of growing wheat, so far as you can tell 

 us, in your own district ? If I can grow four quarters 

 an acre, it will come to somewhere about 90s. allowing 

 for reasonable profit; and we allow generally 20 per 

 cent, for risk and profit. 



7235. I was going to ask you about the 20 per cent. 

 in a moment ; but I will ask you now and come back to 

 the other question. You put down 20 per cent. Does 

 the 20 per cent, include your interest on your capital? 

 Yes. 



7236. Does it include the farmer's or the proprie- 

 tor's time for superintendence? No, it cannot cover 

 that. 



7237. Where is that in your estimate for growing 

 wheat? I have not allowed for that. 



7238. You have not allowed anything for the 

 farmer's own time? No. 



7239. If he was not there, he would have to employ 

 a manager, who would have to be paid a salary, would 

 he not? Yes. 



7240. You allow nothing for that? No. 



7241. But you have told me that 20 per cent, does 

 include the interest on the farmer's capital? Yes. 



7242. What else is included in that the risk of a 

 bad crop? It includes the general risk. I mean he 

 may not get back what he spends, so that you have 

 to allow certain things. 



7243. That is included in that? Yes. 



7244. And his profits? Yes. 



7245. What do you estimate it costs to stock a farm 

 in the Malton district? What capital have you to 

 have in the farm? 15 an acre at the least. 



724(5. T suppose it has to be more? It was 10 

 before the war. 



72-47. I should agree with that, if I may say so? 

 And I should say now it would be in some cases as high 

 as 20. 



7248. But 15 would be the very lowest ? Yes. 



7249. The interest on that would rome to 15s. to C I 

 at 5 per cent. That is in tho 20 por tont.? Yes. 



