252 THE CREATION OF 



was appointed as the first Parliamentary Secretary. The 

 Bill did not pass without some opposition, for although the 

 Prime Minister, in a telling speech on the second reading, 

 pointed out the necessity of this appointment, Mr. Munro- 

 Ferguson opposed it, with a view to urging the establishment 

 of a separate Board of Agriculture for Scotland, and Sir 

 Charles Dilke similarly, because he objected to the continual 

 increase of Ministers and officials ; they did not, however, 

 press their views to a division. 



In 1908 the Government introduced a Bill entitled the 

 Small Land-Holders (Scotland) Bill. Among other things, 

 this Bill proposed to set up a separate Department for Agri- 

 culture in Scotland, and to this the Cattle Diseases Com- 

 mittee, in a report to the Council, objected so far as the 

 administration of the Diseases of Animals Acts was concerned. 

 That Bill did not make much progress, but it was reintro- 

 duced in 1911, and again proposed to set up a separate Depart- 

 ment. This was opposed by the Scottish Chambers of Agri- 

 culture, and the Central Chamber raised their objections in 

 sympathy. The Government were very determined to carry 

 their proposals, and, notwithstanding a number of very strong 

 resolutions, carried at large meetings, especially in the North 

 of England and in Scotland, the Prime Minister, in reply to a 

 question put by Mr. Charles Bathurst in the House of Com- 

 mons, on 26th October, curtly declined to modify the Bill 

 in any way. The Council therefore appealed to the House of 

 Lords either to insert and insist upon a clause which would 

 give effect to the wishes of agriculturists in both England and 

 Scotland, or to reject the Bill altogether. The House of 

 Lords acceded to this request, and although the separate 

 Department was established, the administration of these 

 Acts was left in the hands of the English Board of Agriculture. 

 Mr. Walter Runciman was appointed President of the Board 

 of Agriculture after the Bill had passed the report stage, 

 and he was strongly urged by the Chambers to use his influence 

 to prevent the proposed division of administration. Whether 

 he was in a position to press this point, having only just come 

 into his new office, is not known ; but he was credited with 



