1922.] 



Conciliation Committees. 



579 



demand for the re-establishment of the Agricultural ^Yages 

 Board, which, in his opinion, would do great harm to the 

 industry. 



Speaking of the Canadian cattle question, Sir x\rthur said 

 that he had always been opposed to a change in the wise policy 

 adopted in 1896*^ for the protection of our flocks and herds. 

 But he had been defeated in the House of Commons, and the 

 House of Lords had also passed a modified resolution in favour 

 of admitting them. He thought the best course for the agri- 

 cultural community to take now was to accept the verdict, 

 and to press for such regulations as would safeguard both the 

 health and the purity of blood of our live stock, which was the 

 finest in the world, and in respect of which we must not take 

 any serious risks. At the same time, the regulations must 

 not be such as to prevent trade, but he thought arrangements 

 could be made under which no serious injury would ensue. 



In conclusion, he urged his audience not to be too down- 

 .hearted; agricultural prosperity w^ould return. 



The Eight Hon. Sir Arthur Boscawen, ]Minister of Agricul- 

 ture, has sent the following letter, dated 7th September, 1922, 



« -T i- to the chairmen, members and secretaries 



Conciliation „ ^ ^. ' 

 « ... ot Conciliation Committees : — 



Committees: . ^ , .i . , . • 



Letter from the twelve months since the Agri- 



M^'rister of cultural Conciliation Committees were 

 Asriculture established, and with the close of the first 

 year's working I desire to express my 

 thanks to the members and officers of the Committees for the 

 public-spirited service which they have rendered to agriculture 

 in carrying out their somewhat trying and invidious duties. The 

 period when the Committees were established, coinciding as 

 it did with heavy falls in the prices of farm produce, made 

 the task exceptionally difficult, but the success which has 

 attended the new system can be judged by the fact that out 

 of sixty-one Committees w^hich have been formed fifty-five 

 have reached agreements during the year. 



In many cases the current agreements are due to expire 

 within the next few weeks, and T hope that both sides in 

 considering new agreements will bear in mind the advantages 

 of making them for reasonably long periods. When the 

 Committees first started it was natural, especially in view of 

 the uncertainty of the agricultural position at that time, that 

 -agreements should be made for short periods only. Subse- 



A 2 



