72 Agriculture and the Community. 



of the services of the scientific and research workers we 

 are training, that they would form their own associations 

 and contribute their share to the work of administration. 



What I have been discussing here is the organisation 

 of the administrative authorities in the industry. These 

 Committees and Boards will carry out the national policy 

 in agriculture. They will not carry out the actual work 

 of managing the land or running the farms. It ought not 

 to be necessary to have to make such a disclaimer. There 

 is a sufficiently clear distinction between administrative 

 work and the actual conduct of an industry, and to those 

 who are considering the problem with an open mind, the 

 distinction between the two spheres will be apparent. 

 Unfortunately, however, when proposals are made for 

 anything in the nature of collectivism in any industry, too 

 many people are inclined to jump to the conclusion that 

 the whole industry is to be run from top to bottom by a 

 government department, and at once tlie bogey of a host 

 of officials is exhibited, to save the critics the necessity for 

 dealing with the merits of the case. Knowing the weak- 

 ness of agriculturists for pouring scorn on farming by 

 government departments, I deem it wise to make it clear 

 that I have no intention of proposing farming by 

 committees or boards. It will be necessary for these 

 committees and boards to arrange for the management 

 and cultivation of land, but when they do so they will 

 decide policy and decree what is to be done with the land, 

 but will hand over the actual work to those who, by 

 training and experience, are competent to carry it out. 

 I have sufficient faith in the common sense and capacity 



