U 



ROYAL COMMISSION ON AGRICULTURE. 



14 



, 1919.] 



MK. 



13,*M. You mean the (porting fanner might 

 encourage rabbit* to the detriment of bis neighbour! 1 

 That u what 1 mean. 



13,'JUo. Compare the industry of agriculture with 

 other iinlustrifs from tin- working man's point of 

 view, would you say that tlu- industry of agriculture 

 is as strenuous as the labour connected with factory 

 work, for instance:' No, not if you judge it aa a 

 whole. The work in many reepecU is undoubtedly 

 hard at times, but if you take it the whole year 

 round it is healthy work in the open air. 



13,906. From the health point of view there is no 

 comparison? No comparison. 



13.207. Mr. Overman: I want to ask you one or 

 two personal questions about your own business which 

 are not dealt with in your //recij. If you object to 

 answer tln-m please aay so. You say you are a tenant 

 farmer? Yes. 



13.208. Farming 640 acres of land? Yes 



13.209. What class of land is it? It is fairly good 

 land. It is not the best class of land in Scotland 

 such as the best class of land in the Lothians or 

 Forfarshire. It is fairly good mixed land. 



13.210. Have you farmed it for many years? 

 About 10 years on my own behalf, and before that 

 time my father farmed it for about 40 years. 



13.211. You have had no trouble as regards security 

 of tenure? None whatever. 



13.212. Do you mind telling us what was your rent 

 in 1913? About 1,200 rather over. 



13.213. Is it the same to-day? Yes, the same to- 

 day. 



13.214. You have hod a good landlord ? Yes, I have 

 a good landlord. 



13.215. What was your labour bill on that 500 acres 

 of land in 1913? In 1911 I remember my labour 

 bill was 1,130. 



13,210. What was it in 1918 P Over 3,000. 



13.217. 200 per cent, more? Practically. 



13.218. I suppose cereals form the greater portion 

 of your crop? Yes, cereals and potatoes and hay. 



13.219. What would be the average quantity of 

 wheat you have grown in the last 8 years? From 100 

 to 110 acres. 



13.220. How many quarters per acre of wheat have 

 you had on the average for the 8 years P About 4J 

 to 6 quarter* an acre. 



13.221. Oats? Gate rather more 6 qrs. 



13.222. Do you grow any barley? No barley. 



13.223. You think if you get the guaranteed price 

 of about the same amount as it stands at to-day you 

 can carry on and get a living? Yes, try to. 



13.224. Mr. Batche.hr: On the subject of guaran- 

 tees, is it your suggestion that the guarantees should 

 be on the full amounts per aero that they are in 

 the Corn Production Act, which is four times each 

 acre of wheat and five times for each acre of oats 

 that there should be the full quantity without any 

 deduction ? I agree it should be on exactly the same 

 basic. 



13.225. Would not that have the effect of helping 

 the farmers who produce small yields of corn? Un- 

 doubtedly. 



13.226. 80 that in that way you would get over pai t. 

 of the difficulty suggested by Mr. Smith in regard to 

 the smaller farmer being wiped out? Yes. 



l.'i.l"J7. On the question of wages I would liko 



it clearly mentioned : Is it almost the usual case in 



Scotland that the ploughmen are engaged either for 



ntlis or for 12 month*? The universal custom 



ii either a six or a 12 months' period. 



13.228. So that wet weather or dry weather IIA 

 nothing whatever to do with the payment? Nothing 



13.229. Therefore it would bo impossible in prac- 

 ither to pay a man less during bad wtsither or 



more during good weather? That is so. It is im- 

 possible in practice, or very difficult. 



13.230. What is your principal objection to yearly 

 tenancies?- I think I have made that pretty clear to 

 th- (Vimmiftsion already. My objection to the yearly 

 tonnnrv. n* I think I stated here, was that if you 

 intended to lay out your money on the farm to try 

 and put Home body into the farm, you have this 

 sword of Damocles, a* it were, hanging over your 



head. As on example, I might mention that I know 

 a gentleman who took a farm in Kn^land, bought 

 his horses and his implements and everything to get 

 going, and the kuuie w<x-k that he signed his lease 

 he got notice to quit. 1 think the system is an 

 entirely unbusinesslike one. 



13,231. In other words, if there were yearly tenants 

 the land would not be asked to do what it was capable 

 of doing? Precisely. 



l;i, _';{_'. It would never get the opportunity? 

 Exactly. 



13.233. There might always be the uncertainty 

 h.inging over the tenant farmer's head of what was 

 going to happen each year? That is how 1 bhould 

 look at it. 



13.234. That same idea permeates through the 

 question of guarantees, that the guarantee must be 

 for an extended period so that the benefits may be got 

 of improvements? So that the landlord may be in- 

 duced to put up money for permanent equipment and 

 the farmer the same. 



13.235. With regard to the question of education. 

 you have mentioned that it would bo very likely that 

 the education in one particular district would be 

 more directed to the developing of the particular class 

 of farming carried on in the locality rather than 

 to the farming carried on in other districts?- 1 i 



13.236. Is it not the case that the education as 

 such would be very lacking if it did not bring in 

 other systems of farming, more particularly if the 

 other systems of farming were more profitable ?- 

 That is what I was trying to point out to the former 

 Commissioner who questioned me, that at least the 

 head of the education department should always keep 

 an alternative policy in view. 



13.237. If it were the case that another el.: 

 farming were more profitable, I presume the Scottish 

 farmer would be quite willing to go into that other 

 class of farming? I should think if it were proved 

 to be more profitable, it would not be long before 1 e 

 was after it. 



13.238. On the question of the figures attached to 

 your precis, are these figures taken from your own 

 books in regard to the price and depreciation and 

 upkeep of horses and implements? Yes. 



13.239. These are all from your own experience? 

 The figures for implements are taken from the prices 

 charged for now implements within the last two years. 

 The figures for horses and their upkeep and deprecia- 

 tion arc taken from lost year's and this year's prices 

 for horses. These are the prices that a farmer who 

 went in 18 months or a year ago will have to pav for 

 his new implements for arable cultivation and horeo 

 power. 



13.240. Chairman : They are not your actual cost 

 prices, but what you estimate that a farmer going into 

 a farm 18 month's ago will have to pay at the present 

 time? Yes. 



13.241. Mr. fiiitchdor : The items of depreciation 

 are fixed as the result of your experience? Yes. 



13.242. The costs have been spoken to by other 

 witnesses. Could you tell me generally whether it is 

 the case that in Scotland the 1918 crop was a better 

 crop in yield and financially than the prospects of tho 

 ]!>!!> crop are!' Ceiierally speaking, they were, better. 



13.243. In a similar manner, the cost of production 

 of the 1918 crop would be less than tho cost of pro- 

 duction of tho 1919 crop? Considerably loss. 



13.244. You are tin- Chairman of tho District Agri- 

 cultural Wages Committee? Yes. 



13.245. You arc the neutral Chairman? Supposed 

 to be neutral. 



13.246. Selected by the farmers and employees as a 

 neutral Chairman? Yes. 



13.247. Notwithstanding that, you are a> President 

 of the Farmers' National Union of Scotland? Yes. 



13.248. Both sides are satisfied to have you as their 

 Chairman? Apparently. 



13.249. Mr. Ashby : Following up some questions 

 asked you by Dr. Douglas and Mr. Batchelor on edu- 

 cation and change in farm practice, is it not true that 

 the market conditions change occasionally in relation 

 to tho possibility of various types of land? From an 

 agricultural point of view? 



13.250. Yes:- -The values change? 



