§ Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether, before approving any applications to the Development Commissioners for Grants out of the Development Fund for the purposes of research, the Board will consider the desirability, in order to secure thoroughness of work and to prevent waste of public money, of allocating substantial Grants to existing institutions for investigation along special lines of research, e.g., to Rothamsted Experimental Station for investigation into soils and manures, to Cambridge University for experimental breeding of plants and animals, to Cirencester or Wye Agricultural College for the study of plant pathology, or to Swanley Horticultural College for investigations in reference to bees, rather than the distribution of Grants among numerous institutions and persons for the conduct by each on a small scale of research along several different channels?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir E. Strachey)The Board will keep the suggestion made by the hon. Member in view when preparing applications for advances 672 from the Development Fund and when reporting upon such applications in conformity with Section 4 (1) of the Act.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTWill the Board adopt the same principle when it is making application for a proportion of the funds?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYI must ask for notice of that question.