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APPENDIX No. 3. 



THE WAR AND AGRICULTURE. 



From the end of July until the end of October the Central 

 Chamber of Agriculture ceases its activity, unless some extra- 

 ordinarily urgent matter calls the Council together. Farmers 

 are too busy with harvest to find time for meetings ; the political 

 world is quiescent in normal times ; and this recess gives an 

 opportunity to catch up with routine work, which is of necessity 

 left to accumulate while meetings are constantly taking place. 

 The sudden mobilisation of the military forces and the declara- 

 tion of war on 4th August found the Central Chamber peculiarly 

 unprepared to take any action, and discovered a weakness in its 

 organisation which had never been realised because the situation 

 was unprecedented in its history. The mobilisation withdrew 

 from civil life, and in many cases sent abroad, many members 

 who had taken the most active part in the work of the Chambers, 

 among them being the Chairman and the Vice -Chairman of the 

 Central Chamber, the very individuals to whom the Secretary 

 has to appeal for instruction and advice upon all questions of 

 moment, when the Council is not in session. 



Having passed the age limit for active service and, further, 

 having no staff, holding a fiduciary position, to leave in charge 

 of the Chambers' work in his absence, even had he been able to 

 " take the shilling," the only thing left for the Secretary was to 

 take such action as he could in a personal capacity to help to 

 meet the national emergency. 



On 6th August the following letter was sent to forty news- 

 papers, most of them inserting it within a few days : 



WHOLE-MEAL BREAD. 



SIR, As one means of extending the bread supply and at 

 the same time giving consumers a more nutritious article 

 of food, may I suggest that all housekeepers should ask for 

 whole-meal bread. Although the white flour turned out 

 from roller mills has the most nutritious part of the grain 

 removed in the milling process, it is a simple matter for 

 millers to mix the germ, semolina, and the other nutritious 

 parts of the wheat with the white flour before passing it on 

 to bakers. Yours, &c., 



A. H. H. MATTHEWS, 

 Secretary, Central Chamber of Agriculture. 



