86 



2 Stptombtr, IS 



COMMISSION ON AGRI 



MB. CASTELI, WREY. 



that it would become Tory strong war actually in 

 those days being felt with the severity with which 

 it wa being felt two yean later, and I think tli.- 

 Corn Production Act was fax moro M a sop to labour 

 than a op to the fanner. 



7818. By the time the Corn Production Act was 

 introduced the submarine menace was pretty strong, 

 was it notP It was getting stronger then, but it 

 was not introduced very rapidly, was it? 



7819. Lord Selborne himself and hi* Committeo saw 

 tin- danger then and recommended as an international 

 safeguard that moro corn should be grown, and by 

 the time the Corn Production Act waa introduced 

 the Government generally had recognised that, and 

 I put it to you that the object of tho Government 

 was, if possible, to get the corn grown as a national 

 safeguard against the shortage of food? Yes, I 

 think that was so to an extent, but I think the 

 national future and prosperity of agriculture from 

 the economic point of view was not studied at that 

 time; it was merely a question of the submarine 

 menace and labour. 



7820. Dr. Douglat: Is it not the case that the 

 Report of the Selborne Committeo was issued in the 

 early part of 1917? I cannot tell you: I should 

 have thought it was earlier, speaking from recollec- 

 tion. Is that the fact? 



7821. I think you may take it so. Was not that 

 tho time when the submarine menace was at its 

 height or immediately after? Was the Report issued 

 immediately the Committee finished ite sittings? 



7822. An Interim Report was issued long before it 

 finished its sittings, but it is your evidence and not 

 mine that we want. Does not the report of that 

 Committee itself f>peoifially refer to intimations 

 from the Board of Admiralty? I do not remember 

 it. 



7823. Perhaps yon have not rend the Report with 

 the same care that some people have? Perhaps not. 



7824. .s'ir William Ashley: Would you be good 

 enough to explain just a little further one or two 

 things which you have already told us about? You 

 have told us you arrived at the item for manage- 

 ment, 2s. 9d. per acre, by distributing half tho 

 apent's salary and the whole of tho bailiff's 



<ivcr tho total acreage? Yes. 



7825. That is an acreage of 3,700? No, 2,700. 



7896. It says here, " 3,700 acres." Is that a mis- 

 print:-- The farm has varied from 4,150 to 3,700 

 and 2.7INI. It was 4,000 acres in 1911, but in those 

 days there were no costs kept. 



What hhould these figures be? The acreage 

 in ili.' farm in 1911 was 4,160, and to-day it is about 



- I louirlik . :ilrul;itcd that it would have been, 

 on 3,71X1 acres, just over 600. On 2,700 it would 

 have li. < u \. i v much less? Very much more, would 

 it not? 



. Would vim have any objection to telling us 

 how much tho bailiff's wages were? 3 a week, I 

 think. 



7830. With regard to the interest on machinery. I 

 was not quite clear how your accountant got at that 

 2s. 2d. per acre. Is not tho machinery valued at 

 Us original price? I think I explained that to Mr. 

 Overman. The machinery is valued every three 



by the valuers and depreciated, and in tho case of 

 any new machinery which is bought, that i put in 

 every year at cost prico. ami to arrive at the 2s. 2d. 

 I take the total \aluo of the machinery employed on 

 the farm and divide it by the number of acres. 



7831. What piTociitati" is it. do you happen to 

 know? Ten per cent, depreciation and 10 per cent. 

 for repairs is what I allow off tho capital value as 

 fixed by tho valuers. 



7832. I see that in these tables. 1 (a) onwards. 

 you have not entered any receipts from tho sale of 

 straw? No, I do not sell any straw. 



7^.'i3. Does the bailiff draw much food from the 

 farm for his own consumption? No ; ho pets milk 

 and butter, and he is allowed the run of a pip, and 

 he is allowed to feed his chickens. 



7--.'i1. Do you know how tho milk and butter is 

 treated ill the accounts? It is charged for as sold. 



7835. At market price? At market price. 



7<ii>. .1/V. dnitlit/: On tho last occasion T was 

 poinj; to ask you about the rise in the value of food. 

 ing stuffs and fertilisers and you Raid you would 

 bring up 'some figures? Yes. T have brought those 

 figures with mo. I made my list rather more peneral 

 than your question because I thought it might bo 

 more useful. I have a list of some of the items hero 

 nought in 1913, and also that I bought in lf>18. I 

 have tho invoices here. The list is as follows: 



