950 



Crop Reporting. 



[Jan., 



These persons who, as I have said, number 336, are usually land agents, 

 land valuers, or other persons possessing a knowledge of agriculture in the 

 districts with which they deal. They are paid by fees averaging about £100 

 per annum, but varying according to the size of the district allotted to them. 

 When the heavy work previously done by the Customs was taken over in 1919, 

 it was considered that this work could only be done efficiently by creating 

 smaller districts than those which had hitherto been used for the Ministry's 

 crop reporting ; hence the number of reporters was increased from 220 to 336. 

 The work consists of : — (a) The collection annually of a Return of the area under 

 crops and the number of live stock on holdings of more than one acre ; (6) the 

 estimation of the production of the principal crops; and (c) the supply to the 

 Ministry of a monthly report on the condition of crops and agricultural 

 conditions generally. In addition the crop reporters snpplj^ special informa- 

 tion as required. 



The value of these Returns cannot be questioned. They are the basis of 

 all discussions on agricultural policy, and afford the only real measure of the 

 dimensions of the industry, the changes in cultivation, the number of live 

 stock, the yield of crops, and other questions of primary importance from an 

 economic point of view. I may say that this question has been carefully gone 

 into hy the Ministry, and I think it is very doubtful indeed if any possible 

 economy can be made in this direction, if the information that is now obtained 

 is still desired. Of course, it is a question of policy, and perhaps a very 

 proper question for the x\gricultural Council, or some body like that, to state 

 whether these Returns and crop reports need be so full. There is now, as the 

 noble Lord knows, a monthly crop report, but I may say that the Department 

 have examined it very closely, and that it is certainly the general opinion of 

 the Ministry that these reports should be as full and the statistics as careful 

 and as well-informed as they now are. I am afraid it is very doubtful indeed, 

 in fact impossible, that the expenditure upon them can be cut down to any 

 large extent. 



Mk * * * 



