30 



Questions in Parliament. 



[JULY, 



Prices of Wheat and Oats. — In reply to a question by Major Barnes, 

 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry stated that the relative 

 prices of wheat and oats in 191 3 and in 1919 were as follows : — 





Wheat. 



Oats. 





Price per 

 Imperial 

 Or. of 

 British 

 Wneat. 



Quantity 

 produced 

 in United 

 Kingdom . 



Imports 

 (including 



flour in 

 equivalent 

 wt. of 

 grain) . 



Price per 

 Imperial 

 Or. of 

 British 

 Oats. 



Quantity 

 produced 

 in United 

 Kingdom. 



Imports. 



I9I3 

 I9I9 



5. d. 



31 8 

 72 II 



qr. 

 7,087,000 

 8,665,000 



qr. 



28,587,000 

 22 401,000 



S. CI. 



19 I 

 52 5 



qr. 



20,660,000 

 25,495,000 



qr. 

 6,520,000 

 2, {.09,000 



(7th June, 1920.) 



Gaunciis of Agriculture. — In reply to a question by Sir K. Wood, the 

 Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry stated that the Councils of 

 Agriculture would be established as soon as possible after the County 

 Agricultural Committees, now being sent up by each County CouncQ 

 in England and Wales, had appointed their two representatives. It 

 was hoped that this would be done at the first meeting of each Committee, 

 but as in many instances the County Committee had not yet been fully 

 constituted, it was impossible to say definitel^^ when the Agricultural 

 Councils would be formed. It was hoped, however, that the Councils 

 would be constituted in time for the first meetings to be held next 

 November. (9th June, 1920.) 



Home Crown Sug^ai*. — In reply to a question by Mr. C. White, the 

 Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry stated that the company known 

 as Home Grown Sugar, Ltd., was registered on the 13th February, 1920, 

 with a nominal capital of ^1,000,000, divided into i, 000,000 ordinary 

 shares of £1 each. The Government agreed to subscribe for a number of 

 ordinary shares (not exceeding 250,000), equivalent to the number of 

 allotted to public subscribers. The total number of shares issued by the 

 company was 500,000, of which 250,000 had been allotted to the Govern- 

 ment. No shares had been allotted otherwise than for cash. The 

 Government had guaranteed a dividend of 5 per cent, per annum upon 

 the capital subscribed by the public up to 250,000 shares for the period 

 ending 31st March, 1930. The directors might, at any time after re- 

 payment to the Minister of Agriculture of any sum paid to the company, 

 call upon the Minister to sell his shares upon payment of their par value, 

 together with a deferred dividend of 5 per cent, upon such shares as 

 from the date of allotment. 



The remuneration of the Directors, other than the Managing Direc- 

 tors, was at the rate of ;^3oo per annum for each Director, and an addi- 

 tional sum of £^00 per annum was paid to the Chairman for the time 

 being of the Board of Directors. The Government had no voice in the 

 appointment of Members of Parliament as Directors. The Minister of 

 Agriculture was, however, entitled to appoint a Director of the Company 

 to act as the Government's financial representative, and such financial 



