Council of Agriculture for England. 



[June, 



removed so that they would become very plentiful and thus 

 reduce the price of beef. The assumption was that the price of 

 stores was a considerable factor in determining the price of beef. 

 Sir Daniel Hall had pointed out in his evidence before the Eoyal 

 Commission that the price of home-fed beef was determined by 

 the price of chilled beef. The experience of the last two years 

 had been such as to confirm this statement. 



Mr. E.G. Owles (Norfolk) said that Norfolk as a whole was 

 strongly in favour of lifting the embargo so far as Canadian 

 cattle were concerned. At a meeting held in Norwich in 

 March last, when at least 1,000 farmers were present, 

 four only had voted in favour of the embargo. There were only 

 two ways in which a larger and cheaper supply of home-bred fat 

 beef could be had, and these were (1) by admitting Canadian 

 store cattle, or (2) by requiring that no calf suitable for rearing 

 should be slaughtered under six months old. The latter method 

 had the disadvantage of tying up cows with their calves for a 

 time instead of producing milk for human consumption. 



Mr. J. R. Spraggon (Durham) asked how many of the 1,000 

 people at the Norwich meeting were farmers. A similar meeting 

 in Northumberland had been reported to be a farmers' meeting 

 and was not. 



Mr. TV. R. Smith, M.P., said that the question at the moment 

 was Canadian cattle, and it was important that the issue should 

 not be clouded by reference to the cattle from other countries. 

 He had been present at the meeting in Norwich to which Mr. 

 Owles referred and could unhesitatingly say that the meeting 

 was one of hona fide farmers. Before altering his view, he would 

 w T ant more sufficient reasons why the embargo should not be 

 removed, thus giving the farmer a better chance in his business. 



In opposing the motion, Mrs. Middleton stated that at the 

 meeting in Northumberland to which Mr. Spraggon had referred, 

 which was held in March last and presided over by the Duke of 

 Northumberland, there were between 450 and 500 people 

 present and only two voted in favour of retaining the embargo. 

 The Mother Country should not take as her motto " Safety 

 first/' It should be looking to the safetv of her children as well 

 as herself. Production should be founded on the principle of 

 competition, co-operation and common ssnse. 



Lord Bledisloe asked whether the interests of Canadian 

 farmers were to be placed before the interests of the majority of 

 English and Welsh farmers, and whether, if the embargo were 

 to be raised, Canada was to remain the exception to the rest of 

 the countries of the world. He foresaw very serious difficulties, 



