§ SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture if his attention has been called to the great rise which has taken place in the price of wheat in consequence of the declaration of war by America against Spain and the small supply in the United Kingdom, arising from the decline in the home growing of wheat; and what course Her Majesty's Government proposes to adopt to guard against the excessive augmentation of this price in the event of Her Majesty becoming involved in a war with a Naval Power aiming at cutting off the foreign bread stuffs from the United Kingdom?
§ MR. SETON-KARR (St. Helens)I beg to ask whether, in view of the facts stated in the Question, and of the resolution on the subject, accepted last Session by Her Majesty's Government, and passed by the House, and in view also of the great public interest taken in this Question, the Government will consider the advisability of appointing a committee of experts to inquire into the whole question of our national food supplies in time of war?
§ LORD STANLEY (Lancashire, S.E., Westhoughton)My right honourable Friend, the President of the Board of Agriculture has requested me to answer this Question. He is, of course, aware of the recent rise in the price of wheat, but it can scarcely be doubted that it is due to causes of a much more complex character than is suggested by my honourable Friend. With regard to his second inquiry, my right honourable Friend says: I am afraid that it is not possible for me, within the limits of a reply to a Question, to add anything to the full statement on the subject which was made by my right honourable Friend, the First Lord of the Treasury, in the course of the debate which arose a year ago. In answer to the supplementary Question by the honourable Member for St. Helens, I will ask him to defer it till Monday, as I am afraid I know nothing about the matter.
§ SIR HOWARD VINCENTI shall take the earliest opportunity for calling renewed attention to this subject.
§ MR. SETON-KARRI beg to give notice that I will repeat the Question on Monday.