170 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



the opportunity was lost, chiefly because agriculturists 

 were not sufficiently organized to seize it ; now all 

 that we can do is to accept the situation and make the 

 best of it. The voluntary organizations, by using their 

 influence, must see that the right men get on the com- 

 mittees ; and the right men must give up the necessary 

 time and trouble to this important work. 



If only all the existing voluntary organizations had 

 been consolidated, and where necessary supplemented, 

 the creation of the new official organization would 

 not have been necessary. 



I am dealing at some length with the Ministry of 

 Agriculture Act ; for future developments will be largely 

 aff"ected by the way in which the provisions of the Agri- 

 culture Act are administered— by means of the machinery 

 created under the former Act. 



(4) This Act brought in another important change, 

 it turned the Board of Agriculture into a Ministry of 

 first-class status. For many years I had advocated this 

 change, and most agriculturists used to inveigh against 

 the inadequacy of the old Board ; but, such is human 

 nature, now that they have a Ministry with a large 

 income they say " What can it want with so much 

 money ? " 



Not many years ago the Board had the ridiculously 

 inadequate income of ^250,000 a year ; now the Ministry 

 budgets over ^4,000,000, and I feel that this is somewhat 

 excessive — the swing of the good old pendulum. But 

 we must be patient — it will take some years to get a 

 personnel at the Ministry capable of spending such a 

 large sum efficiently, and of exercising to the full its 

 important functions. 



The main function of the Ministry is to guide the 

 changes, which must come in our agriculture, in the 



