1920.J Interim Report on Agriculture. 967 



INTERIM REPORT OF THE ROYAL 

 COMMISSION ON AGRICULTURE. 



The Royal Commission, which was appointed on 15th Jnjy 

 last to inquire into the economic prospects of the agricultural 

 industry in Great Britain w^th special reference to the adjust- 

 ment of a balance between the prices of agricultural commodi- 

 ties, the cost of production, the remuneration of labour, and 

 hours of employment, issued their Interim Report,* dated 

 10 th December, on the 19th December. The Report shows 

 that the Commission, which consist of 23 members, was sharply 

 divided on the main principle with which it deals, namely, 

 the advisability of continuing indefinitely the guarantees of 

 minimum prices for corn on the terms and conditions laid down 

 in the Corn Production Act, 1917. Twelve of the Com- 

 missioners were in favour of a scheme of guarantees, whilst 

 eleven were against it. The twelve were the Chairman (Sir 

 William Peat), Sir Wm. Ashley, Dr. C. Douglas, and Messrs. 

 G. G. Rea, Anker Simmons, H. Overman, A. Batchelor, H. S. 

 Cautley, K.C., M.P., E. W. Langford, G. NichoUs, E. H. Parker, 

 and R. R. Robbins. The minority were Messrs. A. W. Ashby, 

 G. Dallas, J. F. Duncan, Wm. Edwards, F. E. Green, J. M. 

 Henderson, T. Henderson, T. Prosser Jones, R. V. Lennard, 

 W. R. Smith, M.P., and R. B. Walker. Mr. H. S. Cautley, 

 one of the signatories of the Majority Report, was in favour of 

 the principle of guarantees, but disagreed with the scheme 

 recommended by his colleagues for its application, and added 

 a separate memorandum giving his reasons for such disagree- 

 ment. 



The main recommendation of the Report is, then, that guaran- 

 teed minimum prices should be fixed annually in respect of 

 wheat, barley, and oats grown in Great Britain, on the same 

 principle and conditions as are laid down in Part I. of the Corn 

 Production Act, 191 7, the producer being allowed an unre- 

 stricted market for his produce, but the State retaining the right 

 to control prices in case of national emergency. 



The basis recommended for the annual fixing of the prices is 

 the average bare cost of cereal production in each year ending 

 Michaelmas compared with the average bare cost in the pre- 

 vious year, both sets of costs to be ascertained by the Agricul- 

 tural Costings Committee. The datum Une to which increases 

 or decreases in the average cost of the 1920 crop of each cereal 



* Cd. 473, price 3d. 



