296 Questions in Parliament. [june, 



QUESTIONS IN PARLIAMENT. 



Farms entered on by Ag^rlcultural Executive Committees. — In 



reply to a question by Mr. Hurd, the Parliamentary Secretary to the 

 Ministry stated that the Ministry had in its possession balance sheets 

 showing the financial position with regard to all the farms entered upon 

 by Agricultural Executive Committees and cultivated by those Com- 

 m ittees on behali of the Ministry. It was not considered that there would 

 be any advantage in publishing these accounts or that farmers would 

 be able to draw any reliable conclusions from the figures. The business 

 of the Agricultural Executive Committees was not to show how farms 

 could be worked for profit, but to endeavour to remedy some of the re- 

 sults of long-continued neglect. In many cases this involved heavy 

 outlay before any return would appear. {12th May, 1920.) 



Land Cultivation and Increased Wagres. — In reply to a question by 

 Sir L. Harmsworth, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry stated 

 that the Ministry had no direct evidence of any land having gone out 

 of cultivation owing to the increased rates of wages, but that the 

 tendency to lay down arable land to grass had, no doubt, been accen- 

 tuated on that account. (12th May, 1920.) 



il/ieat. — In reply to a question by Mr. J. Davison, it was stated that 

 the estimated quantities of imported and home-grown meat consumed 

 by the civilian population in the United Kingdom for the years stated 

 as under were as follows : — 





Home-killed. 



Imported. 



Total. 





Tons. 



Tons. 



Ton'!- 



Pre-War years, 1909-13 . . 



1,357,000 



750,000 



2,107,000 



Annual Average — 









1914 



1,324,000 



689,000 



2,013,000 



1915 



1,356,000 



464,000 



1,820,000 



1916 . . 



1,404,000 



303,000 



1,707,000 



1917 



1,320,000 



232,000 



1,552,000 



1918 



883,000 



250,000 



1,133,000 



1919 



975,000 



435,000 



1,410,000 



(3rd May, 1920.) 



Advances to Tenants of Small Holdingre.— In reply to a question by 

 Commander Locker-Lampson, the Parliamentary Secretary to the 

 Ministry stated that the Ministry had informed Councils that owing to 

 the high prices at present ruling for live and dead stock, fertilisers, etc., 

 the amount of capital required to farm an ordinary small holding which, 

 in December, 191 8, was stated to be not less than ;^i2 per acre, must 

 now be regarded as not less than ;^2o. Councils were, however, still 

 empowered to guarantee an advance to their small-holding tenants of 

 an amount equal to the amount of capital otherwise possessed by such 

 tenants. (13th May, 1920.) 



Prices of Ground Basic Slagr, 1920-21. — TheMinistry of Agriculture 



and Fisheries and the Board of Agriculture for Scotland have come to 

 an agreement with the makers of ground basic slag with regard to the 

 maximum prices to be charged for this fertiliser in the season 1920-21. 

 These prices are the maximum net cash prices for ground basic slag in 

 maker's 2-cwt. bags, delivered in minimum lots of 4 tons in railway 



