820 Speech by the Minister of Agriculture. [Dec, 



Need for Increased Production. — Mr. German asked me 

 whether that really was needful at the present time. I venture 

 to say there never was a time when it has been more needful, 

 except possibly at the height of the submarine campaign, and 

 as the inevitable shrinkage of production goes on all over the 

 world, or, at any rate, in those countries upon which we have 

 been accustomed to rely in the past, it will become more and 

 more a matter of national necessity that we should produce the 

 absolute maximum that is possible from our own soil at home. 

 Therefore we want to get the best men into farming. We want 

 to get all the capital and brains and energy that we can; and 

 the more men of that kind that come in, and the more produc- 

 tion there is, the more will all engaged in agriculture, in every 

 section of the industry, prosper by it. 



The Proper Functions of the Ministry. — Nov^, having 

 described some of the things W'hich it is not the business of the 

 Ministry of Agriculture to do, may I touch for a few moments 

 upon the things w^hich I consider to be its principal business, 

 and W'hich I claim it is already doing. Speaking generally, it 

 is the business of the Ministry to be the guide, philosopher and 

 friend of all sections of the industry, and to place at their 

 disposal every new development from research, education, and 

 so forth, that can be discovered; to protect the industry, so far 

 as it can, from epidemics of disease and pests; to organise it 

 in the counties, so that its voice shall be more effective in the 

 councils of the nation; and to defend it against unfair attacks 

 from wheresoever they proceed; in fact, to see in these matters 

 that it gets a fair j&eld and no favour, which I am sure is the 

 most that it desires. As I say, we are endeavouring to fulfil 

 those duties, and I am not ashamed of our record up to date. 



Research and Education. — The first in order of importance, 

 without doubt, is the w^ork which we are doing in research and 

 education. Perhaps it will give you an idea of the great 

 increase in that w^ork if I tell you that the amount of money 

 which has now been allocated, and which we are spending 

 every year upon agricultural research and education, is about 

 eight times what it w^as just before the commencement of the 

 War. With that money — and I venture to say we are spending 

 it well and prudently — we are creating a network of organisa- 

 tions, in many cases not entirely new institutions, but we are 

 establishing or subsidising centres at universities, colleges, 

 and farm institutes, and advisory experts in the counties. They 

 are all w^orking together, and to one end, with the finest kind 



