182 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



It would be a clearing-house for agronomic information, 

 and could help in checking the over-development of 

 this or that branch of agriculture within the Empire ; 

 equally it could draw attention to the need of developing 

 the under-developed branches of the industry. 



It could do useful work without any overlapping with 

 the official departments suggested later in this chapter. 

 It should be a source of inspiration, and provide that 

 vision which is so lacking in official bodies. 



The most pressing need, however, is for an Imperial 

 land conference ; not a conference at which the land 

 problem would be discussed as a side issue, but one 

 whose main subject would be the development of the 

 land resources of the Empire. This conference should 

 have been convened long ago — so pressing is the necessity 

 for a clear inter- Governmental understanding on this 

 subject : but the different Governments concerned fail 

 to see that this is indeed the greatest problem of all the 

 great problems with which they are faced to-day. 



In the last chapter it was urged that it is essential 

 that such developments in our agriculture at home shall 

 take place, as will put the United Kingdom beyond the 

 danger of absolute starvation in time of war. In this 

 the Premiers of the oversea Governments strongly 

 concur ; no one realizes more clearly than they that the 

 weakest point in Imperial defence is England's depend- 

 ence upon sea-borne food, especially wheat. 



We could have this security by growing more farin- 

 aceous food at home ; and yet, at the same time, greatly 

 increase our purchases of food from the Dominions. 

 With an Empire comprising one quarter of the land surface 

 of the globe, it is regrettable — to put it mildly — that we 

 should be buying millions of pounds' worth of meat, 

 butter, fruit, cotton and other raw material from 



