AN AGRICULTURAL PARTY 341 



REPORT OF THE ORGANISATION COMMITTEE. 

 NOVEMBER, 1907. 



1. The Staffordshire Chamber of Agriculture passed a resolu- 

 tion on 25th May urging the Central Chamber to take seriously 

 into consideration the formation of a real, Independent Agri- 

 cultural Parliamentary Party. This resolution was sent to all 

 affiliated Chambers, and the principle it embodied has since 

 been adopted by Canterbury, Lincolnshire, Monmouthshire. 

 Totnes, Worcestershire Chambers, Chester, Holderness, Liver- 

 pool, Wadhurst Farmers' Clubs. This resolution formed the 

 chief subject for discussion at the -meeting of Secretaries at 

 Lincoln on 26th June. This was attended by 14 Secretaries 

 and several members of the Organisation Committee, and the 

 following resolutions was unanimously carried : 



" This meeting of Secretaries is strongly of opinion that 

 an Independent Agricultural Party is absolutely necessary 

 and could be formed, and asks the Central Chamber to devote 

 a day to its discussion, and, if advisable, appoint a Com- 

 mittee to consider the best mode of creating and maintaining 

 such a Party, and to send its suggestions to the local Chambers 

 for consideration. Further, this meeting considers that to 

 get as immediate results as possible much can be done by 

 using the means already existing, by forming a joint Com- 

 mittee of Agricultural Members in the House composed of 

 all political parties, which should be in close touch with the 

 Central Chamber, its Business Committee, and Parliamentary 

 Committee." 



2. Any action in favour of the formation of an Agricultural 

 Party in Parliament is quite within the province of the Chambers, 

 Rule 1 providing that 



" The object of the Chambers shall be ... to take 

 such action on all matters, both in and out of Parliament, as 

 may seem desirable for the benefit of agriculture." 



3. Your Committee are of opinion, and they believe it is one 

 generally held, that the industry of agriculture is not represented 

 in the Legislature in the degree that its relative importance, 

 industrially and politically, demands, and therefore it does not 

 receive the consideration that is necessary for its advancement 

 that is so freely offered to it with such marked results in othe* 

 countries. In making this statement your Committee desire to 

 recall that there are about 150 parliamentary divisions in which 

 the voters are chiefly agricultural, and it is therefore not through 

 any lack of material that there has been this marked inactivity. 

 The question your Committee are asked to consider is how can 

 the present representation be shaped into a working party, and 

 how can it be so effectively increased that agriculture can demand 

 more attention from Parliament and from the Government of 

 the day. On a matter of such importance it is necessary that 



