MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



16 September, 1919.] 



MR R. J. THOMPSON, O.B.E. 



[Continued. 



1918-19 season was a negligible quantity. The 191S 

 crop was a fair one, but the small stock of old seed, 

 the high standard of quality set by the Testing of 

 Si Tils Order, the general tendency of merchants to 

 buy th'eir stocks exceptionally early in the season, 

 all contributed to raise the price. It is also claimed 

 that the grower is now more independent than he was 

 in pre-war days and consequently is in a position to 

 bargain for a much higher price. It is considered 

 th.it the level reached in 1918-19 will be maintained, 

 or in any case only slightly reduced, during the forth- 

 coming season. 



i Is I'l-ii-ix uj Agricultural Mncltiuery. 



The atta.'-hed Table provides a comparison of the 

 estimated cost of implements and tools for a farm 

 of 500 acres i lid I i-cres arable and 100 acres grass), 

 in I9M. and at the present time. This shows that 

 the implements v.-bich could be purchased in 1914 

 for tl.:J32 would now cost 2.582, a rise of 94 per 

 cent. The rise in the various implements is, of course, 

 not by any means uniform, but, broadly speaking. 

 >stof agricultural machinery and tools and imple- 

 ments may be said to have doubled. 



Ibe price of steam tackle for ploughing has ad- 

 vanced roughly 120 per cent., and the cost of plough- 

 ing by contract by iilxmt 75 per cent. The prices of 

 tractors have tended to advau-e a little during the 



past two years. Comparison with pre-war prices is 

 hardly possible, as the types of tractor now in use 

 are different. 



With regard to the trend of future prices it is 

 impossible to prophesy with any certainty. The only 

 chance of a fall in prices would arise from a largo 

 ini|K>rtation at low rates from America, but in the 

 present state of exchange this is not probable. The 

 price in this country of the Fordson tractor (285) 

 approximates to that of the Austin (300) a British 

 made tractor on rather superior lines. 



Binders are subject to a price agreement, which 

 although only fixed for this year, is quite likely to be 

 arranged again next year, the determining factor 

 being the British manufacturing costs, and these are 

 likely to determine prices next year. If the American 

 exchange is corrected fairly rapidly, then it is quite 

 likely that in certain lines it would pay American 

 houses to reduce the selling price here ; but competi- 

 tion is much more likely in foreign markets than in 

 the home market. American competition in the 

 United Kingdom has never been very serious except 

 in a few lines, e.g., harvesting machinery, and 

 latterly, traitors; other types of American imple- 

 ments are not in general favour over here, although 

 American ploughs enjoy substantial popularity in 

 certain districts, and are likely to bo " pushed " in 

 future; the same remark applies to disc harrows. 



TABLE I. 

 Spring Prire* of FertUitert /*) ton. {See Footnote.) 



Ptreatttge 



Kainit 



Potash Salts 



Sulphate of Potash 

 .Muriate of Potash 



\.,TK. Th.: price? of Sulphate of Ammonia for the year* I'.Mi' -in Hi are for " Good Grey 24 per cent, f.o.b. Hull." The 

 prices for 19I7-192O are for 2IJ per cent, quility, ami inolude delivery to farmers. 



The i'1-iei- <>r i,,,t h Superphosphate and Basic Slag are f.o.r. at works, except the figures for 1918 19 in the case of 

 Sn|K-rphophate anil for HUH 1 92n in the case of Basic Slag, which are "ex-works " price*. In these years Superphosphate 

 and Ba*i<: E "Id at delivered price*, but for purposes of comparison the allowance for delivery has been deducted. 



The price of Nitrate of Soda is the price in Liverpool. The price of i>otash does not include delivery. 



A 3- 



