IS 



KuY.M. . "MMI>sl"N "N AUKICUKTl'KK. 



12 August, 1919.] 



MH. II i. HOWKU., F.C.A. 



1U86. Ki-.ni this ilirtu statistics will be avuilabl. 

 iiuwing, in addition to coste and profits, a consider - 

 ble amount uf informatiun roluting to the eoonumii - 

 ul the industry such us: 



Amount uf LapiUl invested per acre. 



Itetiirn on capital per cent. 



The most economic sieo of farms. 



The must eooiiomic type of equipment. 



The districts whore products are grown most 



cheaply. 

 Operation costs of various types of equipment. 



etc., etc. 



1086. The Committee is executive in character and 

 can initiate necessary schemes and t;iko steps through 

 the machinery that is available to obtain any informa- 

 tion required. 



1087. The status of the Oomuutt. , i> that of an 

 impartial body, independent of any of the interests 

 concerned anil without political bias; whose duty is 

 to ascertain facte, and whose findings can be relied 

 on by all panties concerned. 



1088. The Committee has no compulsory powers to 

 require information to be furnished, and is dependent 

 in its work on the co-operation of all concerned in 

 the industry. 



1089. All information furnished to the Committee 

 is under a guarantee of secrecy, ito be used anony- 

 mously for the Committee's statistical purposes. The 

 farms will be denoted in the Committee's records by 

 a letter or a number, and the information obtained 

 will not be used in any way for taxation purposes. 



1090. For the time being the Minister of Food 

 answers to Parliament on behalf of the Committee. 

 If and when the Ministry of Food ceases to exist the 

 Committee will continue its work, but the responsi- 

 bility to Parliament reverts to the Boards of Agricul- 

 ture. 



1091. The Committee is to report its proceedings 

 to the Ministers of the four Departments (i.e.. 

 Departments of Agriculture and Ministry of Food) 

 named above. 



1092. The names of the Committee are as follows: 

 Representing Ministry of Food: 



W. H. Peat, Esq. (Chairman). 



Lord Bledisloe, K .11. K 



E. F. Wise, Esq., C.B. 



W. Anker Simmons, Esq., C.B.E. 



O. B. Fisher, Esq., C.B.E. 



A. P. McDougall, Esq., C.B.E. 



Representing Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries : 



Sir Henry Row, K.C.B. 

 Hon. E. G. Strutt, C.H. 



Representing Board of Agriculture for Scot- 

 land : 



Sir Robert Oreig. 

 P. A. Francis, Esq. 



Representing Department of Agriculture and 

 Technical Instruction for Ireland: 

 1'rofofwor J. R. Campbell. 

 Dr. Hinehcliff. 



Representing Oj-ford Institute for Research in 



HiKimic.*: 

 C. S. Oruin, Esq. 



Representing Consumers' Coune.il : 

 Mrs. Reeves. 

 R. B. Walker, Esq. 



Representing Agricultural Council: 

 E. W. Lang'ford, Esq. 

 A. Batchelor, Esq. 



Reprc.tr nl in i/ hish .1 <irirtiltnri*ts : 

 Col. Sir Nugent. Kvernrd, Bt. 



2. Progress of the f'ommHli '. Work. 



1003. The. Committee up to the present has tx*>n 

 engaged on necessary preliminary work, and in the 

 development of n permanent scheme of organisation 

 for it* future work. As a first step represent I ' 

 vh-- Commititoe had mooting* in the three count-no* 



leading agriculturists and obtained their 

 on the best means of carrying out the liiimitte'i 

 objects. 



;. At the uml ot' .May last, a ( oiih-icnrii was held 



with repreciitati\i<N of tlio leading Agricultural 



Organisation!* named below to i-mi-nler tho object* 



ami methods of tho Costings Committee, and to dis- 



. potwibhi method* of co-operation : 



Tho Central and Associated Chambers of Agri- 

 culture. 



The National Farmers' Union. 



The Royal Agricultural Society. 



Tho Farmers' Club. 



The Agricultural Organisation Society. 



The Co-operative Wholesale Society. 



The Surveyors' Institution. 



The Central Landowners' Association. 



Tho Land Agents' Society. 



Tho Tenant Right Valuers' Association. 



The Workers' Union. 



The National Agricultural Labourer*' Union. 



The Welsh Farmers' Union. 



The Welsh National Agricultural Council. 



Tho Scottish Chamber of Agriculture. 



The Highland and Agricultural Society. 



Tho National Farmers' Union of Scotland. 



The Scottish Smallholders' Organisation. 



The Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society 



The Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society. 



The Scottish Estate Factors' Society. 



The Scottish Form Servants' Union. 



1095. Representatives attended from practically all 

 these Organisations, and the following Resolution w;u 

 passed: 



" That the members of the Conference present 

 fully endorse the value of the work of the Agri- 

 cultural Costings Committee and are anxious to 

 render all possible assistance on the lines of the 

 Agenda put before them." 



1096. Further steps have since been taken to 

 develop tho co-operation of these bodies. 



1097. Another Conference, with tho same objects, 

 has also been held with representatm-s of the various 

 Agricultural Colleges in England and Wales, at which 

 a Resolution was also passed agreeing to co-operato 

 with the Committee. 



1098. Having thus ascertained the views of those 

 connected with the Industry, tho Committee prepared 

 u Scheme of Organisation and submitted this to the 

 Treasury for the necessary approval, which after 

 some time was granted. 



1099. Immediately the Treasury sanction was ob- 

 tained., steps wore taken to secure a number of 

 Costings Officers to assist farmers throughout the 

 Kingdom to keep the nece-ssary accounts and records. 

 and to collect and analyse the data obtained. The 

 appointment of these officers will be made within the 

 next two or threo weeks. 



1100. Pending tho appointment of these Coatings 

 Officers, a large number of the principal farmers and 

 others have been approached by means of correspon- 

 dence from tho Head Office. At present about 400 

 havo written offering their assistance and agreeing 

 to allow their financial accounts to he used by the 

 Committee. With the full development of the Com- 

 mittee's programme of publicity and propaganda, :i 

 much larger number of farmers will be got in touch 

 with in the future. 



1101. The necessary forms and systems of account 

 have been prepared. 



3. Future work of the Committee. 



1102. In general terms, the future work of the 

 Committee will be in co-operation with the existing 

 agricultural organisation, the agricultural colleges, 

 <'oimty Executive Agricultural Committees, and other 

 available machinery, to induce farmers to keep 

 financial accounts and cost accounts, and in return 

 for information supplied, to give where necessary, 

 some degree of assistance in the keeping of the 

 records. The information so obtained will be cen- 

 tralised and tabulated at tho Head Office. The 



