§ Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give any indication of the length of time prisoners of war will be available for agricultural purposes; and what steps he is taking to prepare for the replacement of such labour.
Mr. WilliamsAs has already been announced, it has been decided that repatriation of Italian prisoners in this country shall begin when the harvest is completed, but I hope that it will be possible to replace those employed in agriculture by Germans. I cannot at present indicate how long German prisoners will be available for agricultural purposes or what steps will be taken to replace them if and when it becomes necessary.