1026 



Replies to Questions in Parliament. 



[JAN., 



Flax Proposals. — Replying to Major Courthope, the Parliamentary 

 Secretary to the Board stated that in order to preserve the goodwill of 

 the Board's flax factories and their products (whether the factories 

 were in future carried on by the Board, or by private enterprise), the 

 Board propose to contract, if possible, for 5,000 acres of flax to 

 be grown in 1920. The price offered will be £1^ per ton, with a 

 possible bonus of £2 per ton at the Board's discretion, for flax of 

 exceptionally high quality, seed to be provided free. Purchasers of the 

 factories will be required to take over these contracts, as indicated in 

 the advertisements which have appeared. (8th December, 191 9.) 



Hops. — In a question by Mr. McCallum Scott the Parliamentary 

 Secretary to the Board was asked whether under the Defence of the 

 Realm Act the acreage under hops has been reduced from about 36,000 

 to about 16,000 acres, and whether the Government contemplated any 

 special legislation to protect the cultivation of hops in this country. 

 In reply the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board stated that the area 

 under hops was reduced under the Defence of the Realm Act from 31,352 

 acres in 191 6 to 15,666 acres in 1918, and that the area this year was 

 16,748 acres. Trading in English hops of the 191 9 crop had not yet 

 commenced, and the Hop Control Committee had no information as to 

 the prices at which imported hops were being sold in this country. With 

 regard to the last part of the question he referred the Hon. Member to 

 Section 9 (i) {d)* of the Imports and Exports Regulation which is at 

 present before the House. 



The Parliamentary Secretary, in answer to further questions by 

 Mr. McCallum Scott, stated that he was aware that an average price 

 was being paid by the Hop Control Committee of ;^t8 5s. a cwt. They 

 were now busy grading the crop, and he could not say at what price any 

 quality was being sold. He also stated that English hops of the 191 9 

 crop were not being sold at a considerably lower price than imported 

 hops. (8th December, 1919.) 



Feeding: Stuffs. — In reply to a question by Mr. Herbert, the Parlia- 

 mentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food stated that all descriptions 

 of feeding cakes and meals might be freely purchased. The only form 

 of control now in existence was a system by which the sales of feeding 

 cakes and meals were licensed by an association of the traders acting in 

 co-operation with, and under the supervision of, the Ministry of Food, 

 for the purpose of eliminating speculators and limiting prices. No 

 restrictions were imposed on the freedom of farmers to purcli^se feeding 

 cakes and meals as and where they please, for their own use. (15th 

 December, 191 9.) 



Fertilisers. — -In reply to a question by Lieut. -Col. Sir N. Griffiths, 

 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board stated that the Fertilisers 

 Prices Order, I9i8,| under which control was exercised over sales and 

 purchases of the fertilisers, ceased to operate on 31st May, 191 9. Since 

 that date maximum delivered prices of basic slag and sulphate of am- 

 monia for home deliveries had been fixed by agreement between manu- 

 facturers and the Board. No maximum prices had been arranged for 

 superphosphate on account of the varying cost of importing phosphate 



• "With a view to assisting the industry of hop -growing in the United 

 Kingdom to recover from the injury which it has suffered during the present 

 War, at any time within a period of f ur years from the termination of the 

 present War, the Board of Trade will prohibit the importation of hops." 



t See this Journal May, 191 8, pp. 220-221, and June, 191 8, p. 359. 



