MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



167 



20 August, 1919.] 



MR. CASTELL WREY. 



[Continued. 



the General Secretary of the Labourers' Union, or the 

 General Secretary of the Farmers' Union, it would be 

 an advantage to have a barrister, because you want a 

 man who can plead your cause to the public. In the 

 case of the little local organisation that I have to deal 

 with down there it is hopeless. If I wore not up 

 against a railway signalman, or a coal hawker, i 

 should be able to see their official, and come to an 

 agreement in no time, but if I have to go and sit on 

 a gate and talk to a man about the sowing of turnips, 

 after listening to what I have to say. lie bays: " 1 

 must go and see George " or somebody else and 

 until the labourers and the employers can meet on 

 common ground we must meet in some way or another, 

 and if I can meet an official and get on with him so 

 much the better for everybody concerned in the 

 industry. 



4277. Is that the custom which prevails for the 

 labourer and the employer to settle any difference they 

 have, and, failing settlement, to endeavour to come to 

 a settlement through the Union!' I should prefer to 

 deal with the Union every time if I could find a man 

 who understands his job. 



4278. I think you will find most of their officials 

 understand their job. 



4279. Mr. Cuutlcy : When you say you are in favour 

 of the 10,000 acre farm, and the large farms, I take 

 it that is only on the ground of economic working!' 

 Yes. 



4280. You have not taken into account the political 

 or social demand for f.mall farms, and small holdings? 

 -No. 



4281. You are a little hard, I think, upon the tenant 

 fanner, are you not, when you say he does not use the 

 best machinery. You actually mentioned a 1G ft. 

 drill? Yes. 



4282. You do not suggest that a 16 ft. drill would 

 even go through the gate* of an ordinary farm? A 

 16' ft. drill is packed on to a trolley, and it goes through 

 a 4 ft. gate. You cart it on a pair of wheels, and 

 hen you get it into the field you take the wheels off 

 and put them on at each end in five minutes. 



-12vj. The small farmer necessarily cannot go to the 

 expense of having the different kinds of machinery, 

 and implements, that the big farmer can have? That 

 is why I advocate the large farm. 



4384. On purely economic grounds? On purely 

 economic grounds. 



4285. That does not justify you in finding the f mlt 

 you do find with the tenant farmer for not using the 

 b"-t machinery, doe., it? It would not be an economic 

 thing on a small holding to have the latest up-to-date 

 expensive machinery? You keep varying from small 

 holdings to tenant farmers. You ought to stick to 

 either one or the other. 



4'2 J i. Take the small holder, or the small farmer? 



The Mnall farmer would not have the capital. 



J. It is obvious that the 200 acres farmer could 

 itot keep steam tackle, for example? Of course not. 



{'J-'S Tin; big farmer like you would be able to do 

 so. I suppose you have steam tackle? Yes. 



l2-<9. Yon ^ave us another illustration of the shorts 

 comings of the tenant farmer. You said that he did 

 not sen rye to eye with you with regard to selling 

 fat cattle by tlie weigh bridge? Yes. 



4290. Does not that involve valuers? No. 



4291. Surely a fat beast is worth more per stone, 

 according to the quality!- *> 



4292. Who is going to arrive at the price? The 

 butchers, in competition, when they are sold. 



4293. I thought you were referring to the present 

 system of grading and weighing before sale? No, 

 I think that system is absolutely absurd. 



I- your land heavy land"? Very. It is mostly 

 1 and .5 horse land. We havo few acres of 2 horse 

 land ab-mt 120 acres. 



42ft.'). Do you mean to say that to plough it you 

 i-o 4 to 6 horses? Yes. 



4296. How much of the 2,850 acres is tillage land? 

 -It is just over the .>0 per cent., a few acres over the 



half and half. 



4297. The other half is grass? Yes. 



The average crop you grow of wheat is 

 .T'l.'i? (|iinrt4'iV- 'i 



42W. JiM over 3 quarters to the acre? Yes. 



1300. What use would a guaranty's of 60s. a quarter 

 be for 3 quarters to the acre 9? Very little. 



4301. You do not suggest that you can grow wheat 

 on that sort of land at anything like 9 an acre? 

 Oh, yes. 



4302. On heavy 4 or 5 horse land you can grow 

 wheat at anything like 9 an acre, do you really 

 suggest that? I have some figures here for you to 

 show that. Did you not see them this morning? 

 Here is wheat after beans, costing 5 guineas an ac r v 

 and wheat after clover costing 4 19s. 



4303. You do not allow anything for the fallowing 

 of the ground? Yes, I carry over 50 per cent, of 

 the cost of my fallow to the next year, 25 per cent. 

 to the second year, and 25 per cent, to the third year. 



4304. What do you put the cost of the horses at? 

 Slie actual cost. 



4305. 1 should like to discuss the question of cost- 

 ings with you the next time you come here. You will 

 come prepared with the cost of growing an acre of 

 wheat, and if you would price out the operation I 

 should be obliged to you, if you would not mind 

 taking that trouble? I have got it all here already. 



4306. I could not follow it? If there is any 

 particular question that you want answered, and 

 you will let me know through the Secretaries I will 

 bring the details with me. 



4307. I want to see the cost of the operation, 

 how many times ploughing and harrowing, and sow- 

 ing, and so on, all the way down? I have got it 

 here. 



4308. I have seen that? Do you want more than 

 that? 



4308A. No, but I want to enquire into the whole rota- 

 tion? I am afraid I cannot do that, because I have 

 not kept costs long enough. 



4309. I havo some knowledge of the heavy clay 

 land of Sussex, and we cannot grow wheat there under 

 16 to 18 an acre? Of course 1 do not wish to com- 

 pare these figures with Sussex, or any other place. 



4310. As to your balance sheet, would you direct 

 your attention before the next time to this: Taking 

 the two years ending April, 1917, and April, 1918, 

 you begin with a valuation of 22,625, and you end 

 in 1918 with a valuation of 31,651? Yes. 



4311. Showing that there is an increase in the 

 valuation alone of 9,026? Yes. 



4312. You have made during those two years, 

 according to your balance sheet, a profit in tho year 

 ending 1917 of 3,790, and in 1918, a profit of 

 2,385, those two years together making 6,175? 

 Yes. 



4313. 2y900 less than the increasJe in the valuation. 

 Would you let us have by the next time tho details 

 I do not mean the absolute details, but the total 

 amount for the horses, cattle, sheep, and .so on, show- 

 ing how the valuation is arrived at? Your question 

 is rather a long one, and hard to keep in memory. 

 If you will put it in writing and send it to me I 

 will give you all the details you want. 



4314. I am afraid that is rather a matter for the 

 .Secretaries than for mo. Tho increase in the valua- 

 tion is C9,000, and tho increase in the profit 6,000. 

 What I suggest to you is 1 there is no profit at 

 all ; it is only a paper profit ? I think you arc very 

 likely correct. 



4315. I agree if you were to get out of the business 

 now at April. 1918. there would be a profit on the 

 prices realised then, but I want to direct your atten- 

 tion to showing how the valuation is made up. Is 

 tenant right, for example, included in tho valuation? 

 It is. 



4316. Does that vary from year to year? Yes, that 

 varies every year. The valuation is done by Messrs. 

 Fox and Vergette, of Peterborough, very year. 



4317. Are your work horsos written up? Yes, every 

 year do you mean the appreciation, or the deprecia- 

 tion? 



4318. The appreciation. Supposing you have a 

 horse that you can sell in the market at 100, is 

 he taken into stock at 100? I cannot give you 

 the figures the valuers put it at; they simply say: 

 " You have a capital in horses of so much." 



4319. If a factory owner were to write up the 

 value of his engines nnd machinery, and his fixed 

 pl-iiii, and shafting, and that sort of thing, to the 

 present market price he would show an enormous 

 profit, but he could not sell that shafting and 



