1922.] 



Council of Aorici ltube fob England. 



255 



Mr. Christopher Tumor spoke as to the food value of milk, and the 

 desirability of increasing its consumption and in particular of purifying the 

 supply. Sir Merrik Burrell then moved the adjournment of the debate 

 Until the provisions of the new P>ill had become available. Sir Arthur 

 Hazlerigg seconded, and after some further discussion, the motion, to which 

 Lord Strachie was not averse, providing the Minister of Agriculture and 

 Parliament retained their powers of vetoing Orders, was put to the meeting 

 and carried. The Minister assured the Council that due weighl should I »e 

 given to the point raised by Lord Strachie. 



Wart Disease of Potatoes. — Mr. A. G. Daniel* (Herts) moved : — 

 " That this Council learns with the gravest possible concern thai 

 modifications of the Ministry's scheme for the control of Wait Disease 

 of potatoes are proposed ; and it is of opinion that any policy which 

 reduces the activities of the Ministry in controlling the disease will have 

 a detrimental effect and will militate against real economy and food 

 production ; and it further urges that the policy of 1921 be pursued and 

 embodied in an Order of the Ministry." 

 He understood that proposals to amend the policy of 1921 had been 

 put forward in order to save £5,000 per annum on administrative expenses. 

 The policy of had been carefully considered by the Potato Advisory 



Committee and had been approved by the Agricultural Advisory Committee. 

 The Ministry had been doing admirable work, and the 1921 policy would give 

 them better opportunities to control the disease. The new proposal was a 

 retrograde step. Mr. R. R. Robbins seconded the motion. He reminded the 

 Council that in 1 ( J1 ( J there were 3,000 outbreaks of Wart Disease and that in 

 1921 that number had fallen to 300, so that it might not be a real economy to 

 save £5,000 per annum and scrap a policy built on lines which had proved 

 successful. 



Sir Daniel Hall suggested that the grounds upon which the latest proposals 

 were made were being rather misrepresented. The change was not one that 

 was proposed merely for the sake of saving £5,000 per annum : there 

 was a definite change of policy suggested. The original measures largely 

 depended upon the fact that in certain areas in the country only immune 

 potatoes could be grown. It was found that such a requirement inflicted an 

 intolerable hardship upon certain of those localities, and the Ministry decided 

 to concentrate their efforts upon ensuring that a Supply of guaranteed pure 

 seed should be secured for growers, whether the variety required was i 

 susceptible or an immune one. That change of policy was common both to 

 the 1921 policy and tolthe new 1922 policy. The difference was thai the last* 

 named policy went still further in the direction of safeguarding the Beed and 

 let the other part of the administration go, thus effecting a desired ec «nomy 

 The latest proposals, however, had not been accepted by the Potato Advisory 

 Committee or the Agricultural Advisory Committee. The Ministry were 

 therefore considering a fresh revision which would be submitte 1 in due course 

 to the two Committees named. 



Mr. Gardner, speaking as a member of the Potato Advisory Committee, 

 said that he was not at all sure that the 1921 Order, which bad never been 

 put into force, would, if operated, give the same good results as were achieved 

 under the old Older. 



The motion was then put to the meeting and passed. 



