398 



Questions in Parliament. [july, 



Society from the Development Fund. The organising was done by paid 

 organisers, but a large amount of voluntary assistance was also given. 

 The salaries and expenses of the staff amounted to ^27,810, and ^9,462, 

 respectively ; of these amounts approximately four-fifths were met by 

 the Government grants. The amount of affiliation fees paid during the 

 year was £^,99^- The number of societies which paid fees was 1,074. 

 (9th June, 1920.) 



Ag-rScuiturai SociQties.* — In reply to a question by Mr. R. Young, 



the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry stated that he had no 

 precise information as to the membership of the National Union of 

 Allotment Holders. The General Secretary of the Union had, however, 

 furnished him with the following statement : 



"The Federations, Associations and Societies affiliated to the National 

 Union direct and through such bodies as the Vacant Land Cultivation 

 Society and the London, Southern, Yorkshire, Welsh, North-Ea stern, 

 North- Western, Midland and South-Western Sections, represent a 

 membership of 250,000." 



" The number of single societies or groups, and societies which come 

 via sections and federations was, 1,050. This number represents an 

 advance of roughly 450 societies since last year. Included are federa- 

 tions and societies which have formally decided to affiliate, and which 

 do not pay fees for some little time 5'et. /Everyone affiliated through 

 a federation, association, or societ}^ pays a fee. Our year commenced 

 three months ago, and the various affiliated bodies are now collecting 

 their members' contributions." 



With regard to the Agricultural Organisation Society, he stated that 

 the number and membership of the societies which bad paid affiliation 

 fees to the Agricultural Organisation Society for the year ending 31st 

 March, 1920, was as follows : — 



Allotment and 

 Farmers' Small-Holding 

 Societies. Societies. 

 Number . . . . . . 290 .... 784 



Membership .. .. .. 65,500 .... 101,000 



These figures did not include the whole of the societies affiliated to 

 the Agricultural Organisation Society, inasmuch as there were a number 

 which, for one reason or another, were in arrears with the payment of 

 affiliation fees. They were now being pressed to pay up their arrears 

 on penalty of dis-affiliation. If these societies were included and account 

 taken of the fact that the affiliation fees for 1919-20 were based on 

 membership as disclosed by the Annual Return for 31st December, 191 8, 

 the total membership of societies affiliated to the Agricultural Organisa- 

 tion Society would be raised to approxinately 90,000 farmers and 150,000 

 allotment holders. 



For'some time the Ministry had been endeavouring to make arrange- 

 ments which would prevent any possibility of overlapping between the 

 work of these two bodies. In the course of the negotiations, the 

 National Union suggested that the Allotment Sections of the Agricultural 

 Organisation Society andjthe National Union should both be wound up, 

 and that a new body representative of all classes of allotment holders 

 should be established. This proposal was carefully considered, but the 



* This question was omitted from last month's issue owing to pressure of 



space. 



