•260 



Agricultural Advisory Committee. 



[June, 



8th March. It was reported that the Treasury had agreed to the expenditure 

 of the sum in question, with interest, in the next five y.ears, and that the 

 existing grants in respect of agricultural education and research should be 

 retained. It was understood that further funds for the annual maintenance of 

 the work thus commenced or developed would be forthcoming after the five- 

 year period. The Committee approved the proposals subject to certain 

 conditions and assurances which were duly recorded. 



(10) Credit Facilities for Farmers.— It will be renu mbered that 

 a Sub-Committee was appointed at the request of the Council of Agriculture 

 for England to consider this question. The original terms of reference which 

 were stated in the last Report to the Council were extended by the Agricultural 

 Advisory Committee in order to enable the Sub-Committee to consider the 

 question of long term credit in cases where owners had recently purchased 

 their farms. The Sub-Committee presented its Report to the Meeting on the 

 8th March last, and it was accepted. The Report was framed on the under- 

 standing that it would be possible for the Government to give effect to most 

 of its recommendations without the need of waiting for legislation. The 

 Agricultural Advisory Committee was informed, however, at the time of 

 presentation of the Report, that this was ascertained by the Ministry not to be 

 possible in the circumstances then existing, there being no funds available 

 with the Development Commissioners for the purpose. At a later Meeting of 

 the Committee it was stated that the matter had been laid before the Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer and that he had been unable to do anything so far and 

 hesitated to do so because of the difficulty of resisting claims of other industries 

 which were at the present time also hard-hit financially. The Minister told 

 the Committee that he thought the issue was one which should be explored by 

 a Departmental Committee which might endeavour to suggest the most suitable 

 line of action through co-operative credit associations. 



(11) Proposed New Modification of Wart Disease of 

 Potatoes Policy.— In the last report to the Councils of Agriculture it was 

 noted that the Wart Disease Policy, which had obtained for some years, was 

 to be revised. Owing to the fact that decreased funds were available for the 

 Ministry's work, it was found necessary to suggest that the revised policy 

 should be amended and the measures taken by the Ministry in the matter much 

 simplified. The Potato Advisory Committee, however, sitting on the 2nd May, 

 disagreed with this proposal and passed the following Resolution : — 



" That this Committee recommends the Ministry to put into force the 

 suspended 1921 policy, subject to such amendments as the Ministry's 

 experts may deem advisable as to the scheduled areas in Scotland, and 

 strongly protests against the policy proposed to be substituted as quite in- 

 adequate to safeguard the clean areas in England and Wales, and as a policy 

 which would ultimately be detrimental to the export trade in potatoes." 

 At the last meeting of the Agricultural Advisory Committee, which took 

 place on the 3rd May, it was suggested, after some discussion, that considera- 

 tion of the matter be postponed until the next meeting, when the Ministry will 

 have had an opportunity of considering the Resolution of the Potato Advisory 

 Committee. 



(12) Agricultural Improvement Regulations, 1922.- It was 



reported to the Committee that Regulations, dated 9th March, 1922, had been 



