§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked whether, having regard to the fact that, unlike the Departments of Agriculture in most foreign countries and in our self-governing Colonies, the British Board of Agriculture possessed no department, other than its veterinary department, fully provided with a scientific staff and experimental equipment to enable it to investigate chemical, botanical, geological, physical, pathological, and other problems brought to its notice and to answer fully all in- 1076 quiries addressed to it without resorting to text books, leaflets, and outside sources of information, the Government would take steps to increase the amount voted annually for the purposes of the Board so as to render it fully equipped and self-contained in all branches of agricultural science?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe Government do not see any reason at present to increase the amount voted to the Board of Agriculture. I may point out that there has been an increase in the Vote of £50,000 during the past five years.