1921.] Deputation from Trade Union Congress. 1149 



and in purely rural centres the factory appears suddenly in the 

 rnidst of fields shortly to be the centre of a colony of houses 

 built to house the workers. So, while industry grows and the 

 area of our island kingdom remains stationary, there is a 

 steady and cumulative inroad upon the cultivable area. As far 

 as proper acts of husbandry are concerned, he looked to the 

 Agriculture Act to set up a higher standard than exists at 

 present, for that was its object and that will be its aim. 

 Guaranteed prices for wheat and oats, and compensation for 

 disturbance would prove but of little value to farmers whose 

 acts of husbandry were not above suspicion, and he thought 

 that Agricultural Committees would be justly critical of their 

 county's effort. Farmers who did not cultivate according to 

 the new and much stricter definition of good husbandry would 

 get neither the guaranteed prices nor the compensation for 

 disturbance. The Government desired, and the Ministry of 

 Agriculture had pursued, a policy of extended arable cultiva- 

 tion. Both wished to see a much higher percentage of land 

 under the plough, and to this end they had instituted a policy 

 of stimulation, since Parliament would not renew the com- 

 pulsory powers contained in the Corn Production Act. It 

 should be remembered that the Act only guarantees farmers 

 against serious loss; it does not, and cannot guarantee them a 

 profit on their corn-growing, and consequently the farmer has 

 to look at the situation with an eye that embraces the triple 

 factor of prices, wages and hours. Unfortunately, the decline 

 in prices, the rise in wages and the diminution of hours had 

 re-acted upon the farmer and many now 7 were playing for 

 safety. But, while the Ministry admitted the danger of this 

 safety policy being carried too far, and was working hopefully 

 to restore the proper balance between arable and grass, this 

 could only be obtained by giving the farmer confidence. Com- 

 pulsion would never serve, because it was impossible to compel 

 any man to carry on business at a loss, and if the farmer would 

 not extend his tillage by reason of the danger to his solvency, 

 there was nobody to do it for him. The State could not and 

 would not turn farmer. The Premier's statement at the 

 Caxton Hall, to which Mr. Walker had referred, applied not 

 only to arable but to grass, but whatever the needs or desires 

 of the country might be, it was impossible for the Ministry to 

 overlook the economic factor. There w r ere only two ways by 

 which this factor could be ruled out. The first was by a heavy 

 subsidy to the farmer; the second was by a heavy tariff on 



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