§ MR. H. H. MARKS (Kent, Thanet)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether Messrs. Clutton and Messrs. Smiths and Gore have resigned their appointments as Crown receivers of the agricultural land belonging to the Crown, or whether they have been dismissed; and, if so, whether he can state the ground of their dismissal.
§ THE TREASURER OF THE HOUSEHOLD (Sir EDWARD STRACHEY,) Somersetshire, S.My hon. friend has asked me to answer this Question. The engagements of Messrs. Clutton and Messrs. Smiths and Gore as Crown receivers have been terminated so far as concerns the agricultural estates of the Crown, which have been transferred to the management of the President of the Board of Agriculture. The Government's policy of developing the use of this property for small holdings involved such a complete departure from the methods hitherto adopted that my noble friend considered that a change of agents was essential in order to secure that those who would be largely responsible for carrying out this policy should be not only in full sympathy with it, but also should have had some experience of the special kind of work that it involves.