MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



25 



6 August, 1919.] 



SIR HENRY REW, K.C.B. 



[Continued. 



I myself in the reports of agricultural returns, 

 attempted to deal with one or two aspects of meat 

 supplies and wheat supplies and the prospects in the 

 future, judging by the past; but I did not actually 

 deal with it from that point of view, though I have 

 in other connections), that is to say, dealing with the 

 export figures. But if it was of interest to the Com- 

 mission, I would see that information on those lines 

 was laid before you. 



471. Would it be possible to supplement that for 

 the war period by collectng any information, for 

 instance, as to the import into these exporting coun- 

 tries or into other agricultural countries which might 

 in future become exporting countries of agricultural 

 machinery? What I am thinking of is this. I 

 imagine that the farmers of the Argentine, for ex- 

 ample, if developing wheat production, would import 

 their machinery either from Great Britain or the 

 United States or from some other industrial country, 

 and that the future of wheat-growing developments 

 in such regions might be gauged for some little time 

 ahead by observations upon the introduction into 

 those countries of agricultural machinery. Could we 

 for the war period supplement our information in that 

 way? I doubt whether the returns during the war 

 period would be really of much value. You see the 

 normal course of trade has been so tremendously dis- 

 located that it might quite well be that there has 

 been very little import of agricultural machinery 

 into the Argentine during the war. 



472. Yes; but would not that be an important piece 

 of information if we could establish that fact? It 

 would suggest that agricultural developments in the 

 Argentine, for example, had been retarded because 

 of the war, with possible consequences on the volume 

 of supplies, and the future prices of imported pro- 

 duce? It could hardly be expected to have any very 

 immediate effect. I mean, assuming for the sake of 

 argument, they were in the habit of getting a regular 

 supply of agricultural machinery, and that that 

 supply was suspended during the war, it would hardly 

 have had time to have had any real effect on their 

 output, and in the case of a country like the Argen- 

 tine the real measure is exports. We have fairly 

 complete returns. We have certain figures of acreage 

 and we have certain figures of live stock, but neither 

 figure is of very great value. Their internal shiti- 

 tieal service is very imperfect, but the returns of 

 exports are fairly good ; and those I think are the 

 best measure you can have of the progress of the 

 Argentine, and of course are the only figures really 

 which affect the world generally. 



473. Have you in view any regions which have not 

 yet been able to export agricultural products, but 

 which may in the future send u.s any large mass of 

 such products ? -It is difficult to say. Undoubtedly 

 the war has stimulated production all over the world, 

 outside of Europe, and we have had to a small extent 

 supplies of grain and to some extent of meat from 

 new sources. Whether with the return to normal 

 economic conditions those new sources, which do seem 

 to bo promising, are likely to develop, is just on of 

 the problems so difficult to estimate. Take, for ex- 

 ample, South Africa as being a fairly good instance. 

 South Africa has exported more meat, and is still 

 increasing her capacity for exporting more meat ; 

 but that has been stimulated under war conditions, 

 and whether a return to normal conditions will enable 

 her to continue the development or check it is just 

 one of the difficulties ono has in estimating the future. 



474. Does the same difficulty apply to corn produc- 

 tion ? Yes, I think it applies in a very marked degree 

 to the production of corn. For example, Australia. 

 a^ you know, has largely increased her export of 

 wheat. Again, whether that will be continued in the 

 future is a most interesting problem, and would help 

 i;s \ei-y much .in estimating if we knew. It will 

 '! |i'-Tid, of course, very largely on freight and the 

 future ^upply of shipping. 



475. Have the Board any information about 

 freights and the policy of development, of shipping, 



ulrl we go t<> the Ministry of Shipping for that? 

 Of r.our.-o. tin* Ministry of Shipping could give yon 

 more precise information; but, broadly speaking, 'the 

 world's shipping \n now rapidly approaching its pre- 

 war level, f'nfortnnatelv, its effectiveness is verv 



greatly reduced. Quite broadly speaking, there are 

 nearly, if not quite, as many carrying ships in the 

 world at the present moment as there were before 

 the war, but their efficiency has dropped, we might 

 say, by 20 per cent. 



476. On what ground? Difficulties of handling, 

 troubles at the ports, and delays in the use of ships. 



477. I suppose the cost of shipbuilding will have 

 gone up, and that would tend to make freight rates 

 higher? Yes, costs have notoriously gone up very 

 heavily indeed. 



478. Mr. Langford : Arising out of the very excel- 

 lent questions which have been put to you by Mr. 

 Lennard, you do not anticipate that the world's 

 supply of food will be short in the near future? My 

 personal opinion is, no. 



479. But I think the Board view British agriculture 

 and the stimulation of it from the standpoint of 

 security of the nation rather than otherwise ? I think 

 so, certainly. 



480. There may be a period again, if we ever get 

 another war, when our carrying capacity may be 

 seriously interfered with? Certainly. 



481. And that unless we put our homeland to its 

 fullest use we may again be in a perilous position 

 with regard to our food supplies? Certainly. 1 

 presume the main argument in favour of maintaining 

 arable cultivation in this country by special measures 

 is as an insurance against risk. 



482. And again, inasmuch as this country is now 

 on the verge of bankruptcy, it is essential to grow 

 foodstuffs here rather than send our capital away to 

 purchase them from foreign countries? Yes. 



The Chairman hero expressed the view that it was 

 not relevant to discuss the financial position of the 

 British Empire. 



483. Mr. Langford: May I put it in another form? 

 Is it, in your opinion, highly desirable and necessary 

 that we should reserve our resources by growing as 

 much food as possible at home? >Yes, it is; and may 

 I say that was the only part of your question which 

 I answered. 



484. At the present moment the Board of Agricul- 

 ture are farming largely? Yes. 



485. Actually farming land themselves? Yes. 



486. If in future fixed guarantees are to be given 

 to farmers, it will be highly necessary that your Board 

 should be able to have the cost of production of each 

 individual crop ? Yes. 



487. la it your opinion that in order to check the 

 costs presented to you by individual farmers, it would 

 be advisable for the Board to experiment on the costs 

 with care, on their own farms? It might be advis- 

 able. I am not quite sure that it is necessary or will 

 be necessary. As you know, there is a machinery 

 being set up which we hope will result in getting 

 reliable information from farmers in business on their 

 own account, as to the costs of production of various 

 crops. If that proves to be successful, I should rather 

 deprecate the spending of public money on obtaining 

 results which may be obtained otherwise. 



488. But if we are to pay public money by way of 

 guarantee to the farmers, we have to satisfy the public 

 that that money is necessary? I entirely agree; and 

 if it turned out that the machinery, the Agricultural 

 Costings Committee, should fail, then I agree that 

 the matter would be so important that some -other 

 method should be devised for enabling us to ascertain 

 and to check the costs of production. 



489. Is not it a fact that the operations of the 

 Costings Committee will bo with regard to the farm* 

 that are farmed by the individual farmers for profit? 

 Certainly. 



490.^ But in order to check the findings of the Cost- 

 ings Committee not that I regard them as inclined 

 to shirk their duty or neglect their work but in 

 order to satisfy the public mind, do not you think it 

 would be advisable that certain farms should be set 

 up by the Board on which they could check the cost of 

 growing various crops that are grown on the farms? 

 I am not seriously objecting to the proposal, but I 

 have not particularly considered it. But off-hand I 

 am a little inclined to think that for that purpose 

 alone, it would be unnecessary if the Agricultural 

 Costings Committee wore successful in their efforts. 



