MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



77 



2 September, 1919.] 



MR. R. COLTON Fox. 



[Continued. 



tage on a quarter of corn, and if the Commission is 

 satisfied that that is all right, I should then base the 

 future on that. 



7463. Mr. Nicholls : I want to ask you one question 

 about this wheat field, called the Cube Field*. Did I 

 understand that your farm, when you took it in 1915, 

 was very rough? Yes, very. Of course this particular 

 Cube field was ploughed up last year for oats. 



7464. Is your wheat after oats? Yes, it is. It is 

 on the strongest land, you must remember, because 

 the light harrows cannot touch it. 



746.3. You light harrow it twice after dragging? 



Yes. 



7466. How many horses do you use on the drill? 

 Two. There are two men with the drill, one to drive 

 and one to see to it. 



7467. How many acres, on an average, would they 

 do in a day drilling? We generally allow an average 

 of 10. 



7468. And then you harrow twice, after drilling? 



Yes. 



7469. That is a custom, too? Yes, that is a custom. 



7470. What is this tillage referred to that costs 

 2 11s. 3d.? The proportion of my total tillage 

 superphosphates, 301 15s. 7d. 



7471. I was not quite sure of that. Did not you 

 say that you had a small holder neighbour of yours ? 

 Yes. 



7472. And he grew 7 qrs. on one of bis fields? Yes. 



7473. Do you know whether it would be his custom 

 to drag-harrow and twice harrow before drilling, and 

 twice narrow after drilling ; or would it apply to your 

 land being very bad and in a bad state ? I must con- 

 fess his land is kept like a garden, and he might omit 

 the drag-harrowing; but I think, in fact I am certain, 

 he would twice harrow before drilling, and he would 

 probably twice harrow after, but not the drag-harrow. 



7474. You are not sure? No. 



7475. I mean a man's field which is in a good state, 

 would not really take the same labour and trouble as 

 yours that was in a bad state? No; he would pro- 

 bably omit the drag-harrowing, and only harrow once 

 after the drill. 



7476. And he got better results than you would 

 hope to get, because his land was in a better state? 

 Yes. 



7477. One question about the labourers. Do you put 

 forward the suggestion that the labourer should work 

 longer hours because farming is a catchy business ; it 

 is sometimes wet and they lose time, and because these 

 men engaged in an industry that is really essential 

 to the nation and are unfortunate enough to be in 

 it, they ought to work longer hours and ought to bear 

 all the burden of this catchy weather; that w, penalise 

 them because it rains? You see, I am allowing for 

 the time spent in going to and from his work. I am 

 also allowing that the energy. used per hour in our 

 business is less than in any other industry. 



7478. Did I understand you that you farm is 4 miles 

 from the place of delivery? Yes, four miles from 

 Malton. 



7479. So that all your cartage is a 4 mile trip? 

 Yes, up and down hill. 



7480. That, of course, adds to the cost per acre? 

 Yes. 



7481. Mr. Lennard: In the section of your evidence- 

 in-rhief headed " Remuneration of labour," you draw 

 some distinctions between agriculture and other 

 industries, arid you appear to think that agriculture 

 stands by itself in having the price of its produce 

 normally ruled by the world's markets. I suppose 

 you often find American machinery used on farms? 

 We cannot tise such machinery. 



7482. But it is matter of common knowledge, is not 

 it, that American machinery is to a great extent used 

 on farms in this country? Do you mean tractors? 



7483. Yes, and binders? Yes, we use tractors. 



7484. -Has it never struck you that the engineering 

 industry of this country is subject to foreign competi- 

 tion, and that its prices are largely ruled by the 

 world's markets? They are. 



7485. I suppose in your own county in the West 

 Riding, which is my native district, you know there 



See Appendix No. II. 



are many carpet factories? Yes; but I am hardly a 

 West Hiding man; I am an East Riding man. 



7486. If the Yorkshire carpet manufacturer were 

 to raise his prices very much, would not the people 

 buy more Turkish and Indian carpets? If we raised 

 our prices for the home article, it would mean that 

 the foreign article would receive a better market. 



7487. Would you agree generally that if we went 

 through the whole catalogue of British industries 1 , 

 we should find many more besides the instances I 

 have quoted in which foreign competition has seriously 

 to be reckoned with? Yes. 



7488. So agriculture does not really differ from 

 every other industry in this respect, but other in- 

 dustries are also subject b foreign competition? 

 Yes ; but my point was meant to be, that where we 

 differ essentially is that we cannot of ourselves pass 

 on our expenses to the consumer. 



7489. I suggest to you neither can the carpet manu- 

 facturer do so. because if he tries to pass on a large 

 increase in his expenses, the consumer will buy 

 Indian carpets instead, will he not? Yes; but you 

 see, if I may just say so, before the war the wages 

 were based on supply and demand for carpets. Now 

 they are not. They are based on the fixed wages. 



7490. That is rather a different point, is it not? 

 Yes, it is. 



7491. You suggest in your evidence that a sliding 

 scale between agricultural wages and corn prices 

 should be established, and you say: " By this system, 

 agriculture would more nearly approach other in- 

 dustries." Is it the rule to find such a sliding scale 

 between wages and selling prices in other industries? 

 No; but you see, by fixing the price in regard to 

 the wages, it means that we get certain of our labour 

 expenses! back. It means that in the price you fix, 

 you are taking into consideration the labour expenses, 

 and that will fall on the consumer. But as things 

 are going to be, apparently we have no guarantee 

 that our expenses will be refunded. 



7492. Neither have other industries have they? 

 Yes because they put up the cost of a pair of boots, 

 and we do not. 



7493. Not if people buy foreign ajoods themselves? 

 Those foreign goods are dumped ; but if I go in the 

 market and ask 40s. for cereals and the market price 

 is 35s. and it costs me 36s. or 37s., I cannot get the 

 36s. or 37s. 



7494. I quite agree ; but I think other people are 

 in the same boat in that respect? Then they should 

 not be. 



7495. You say in another part of your evidence, that 

 it would be unfair to charge overtime rates for labour 

 which is essential to the working of a farm? Yes. 



7496. Would you regard the Sunday work of railway 

 signalmen as essential to the working of the railways? 

 Surely you would? Knowing, as I do, intimately, 

 because I do it myself, the amount of work required 

 on Sunday for stock, I do not consider that the 2 

 or 2J hours spent the whole of a Sunday on a stock 

 farm can be compared with a signal box ; the two 

 industries are so totally different. 



7497. But your point was, that it was unfair to 

 call it overtime, when it was an essential part of 

 the normal working of a farm? It is. 



7498. I put it to you that the work of the railway 

 signalman on the Sunday id an essential part of the 

 normal working of the railways? Yes, it is, but, 

 there again the same men will not take Sunday duty 

 every Sunday. It is possible, with the amount of 

 railway staff, to work it in shifts. 



7499. YeS; but my point is that he is paid a 

 definite overtime Sunday rate, is he not? Before 

 the war I used to pay 2s. for Sunday duty, and I 

 paid 18s. to 1 a week before the war. The men 

 used to take it in turn for Sunday duty ; and I am 

 perfectly willing to pay so much for Sunday duty, 

 but not by the hour. Have 2s. or 2s. 6d. for Sunday 

 duty, but do not say so many hours'. 



7500. I notice that you advocate a 54 hours' week 

 for agricultural labour? Yes. 



7501. Are you aware that at a Meeting of the 

 Reading Branch of the National Farmers' Union last 

 Saturday, a Resolution was approved urging that 

 after November 1st, next, a week of 50 hours all tho 

 year round to be universally adopted? No, I did not 

 know that. 



