19-21.] 



The Ageicultlral Council for England. 



this Council, and constantly advised by the Agricultural Advisory 

 Committee, with regard to all technical and other agricultural 

 matters; whilst, on the other hand, he will have, within the 

 Department itself, his Administrative Council to advise him with 

 regar(^ to purely administrative questions. He will thus be sup- 

 ported, on the one hand, by agricultural experience, and. on the 

 other hand, by administrative experience, each expressed in the 

 terms of an Advisory Committee. The Agricultural Advisory 

 Committee is intended by Parliament to meet frequently, at 

 least once a month I hope, or as many times oftener as is 

 desired, and will be presided over by the ^Hnister himself. 



Your first duty now is to elect your respective members of 

 that Advisory Committee. With regard to that I wish to say 

 this. Tp till now the Minister has had to appoint, and there 

 are now in being, a number of Advisory Sub-Committees on 

 technical questions, and we shall have to consider a little care- 

 fullv what the relation of those should be to the Central Advisory 

 Agricultural Committee vdiich will novr be set up. - One thing is 

 quite clear in my mind, that those Sub-Committees must be 

 closely in relation with, and indeed. I think, co-ordinated by. 

 the Agricultural Advisory Committee which will represent you. 

 That, however, is a matter which can be discussed with the 

 Committee when it is constituted. I hope that when all this 

 organisation is complete there will be an effective and workman- 

 like chain of responsibility reaching all the way up from the 

 Coiinties to the Ministry, which will have a very real influence 

 and effect upon future policy and administration. 



T see later on in your Agenda there is a question of the date 

 of your next Meeting. It is not for me to say when you should 

 meet or when you should not meet, but I am very anxious that 

 this Council should have the eai-iiest possible opportunity of 

 expressing its opinions and that I should have the benefit of those 

 opinions on the burning questions of the dav as soon as possible. 

 There is only one subject down for discussion on the Agenda paper 

 to-day, and I venture to suggest very respectfully, although it is 

 a matter entirely for you to decide, that having got over your 

 more or less formal inaugural business to-day the next Meeting 

 of the Council should take place very shortly, and that in the 

 meantime subjects which are desired to be discussed should be 

 sent forward in the form of resolutions or motions, so that the 

 next debate, in fact the first real debate, on agricultural policy 

 should not be put off for six months as is suggested. That is 

 not my business, but it is an expression of my real and sincere 



