§ SIR WILLIAM WEDDERBURNI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, in the progress of his Agricultural Holdings Bill, he will introduce provisions to protect the improvements of sitting tenants; whether he is aware of the inconvenience, in the administration of the existing Act, from the practice of ascertaining the value of improvements by means of mechanical scales of unexhausted manures, irrespective of results, and will provide that due, credit shall be given for continuous good husbandry and accumulated manurial fertility; and whether he will favourably consider a proposal to simplify the First Schedule by introducing a definition of improvement, in accordance with Clause I of the Bill, as including anything done by the tenant whereby the letting value of the holding is increased.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. LONG,) Liverpool, West DerbyIt would, I think, be very inconvenient that I should anticipate any statement which it may be my duty to make with regard to the suggestions of the hon. Baronet when the Bill is considered in Committee. Proposals of the kind cannot be properly discussed in the form of question and answer.
§ DR. FARQUHARSONWill the right hon. Gentleman, under the circumstances, undertake not to bring on the Second Reading of the Bill before Easter, so that we may have an opportunity of consulting our constituents with regard to it?