§ Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked whether, in view of the unanimity among the leading agriculturists and agricultural societies in the United Kingdom that due provision for agricultural research is the most urgent and important object to which the Development Fund can be applied, he will state how soon the Development Commissioners propose to appropriate a portion of the fund for this purpose and for what special lines of investigation?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThe Development Commissioners have already recommended as an interim measure, the grant of a sum of £9,706, or such part of it as may be required for the present financial year, for the purpose of enabling certain institutions to carry on approved lines of agricultural investigation upon which they are engaged. The Commissioners are discussing with the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries a general scheme for research, which it is hoped will be settled, subject to Treasury approval, within the next two or three months, and will provide for the encouragement of research in all the most important lines, so far as the number of men available for that purpose permits.
§ Mr. KILBRIDEWill any of that £9,000 be allocated to the Board of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in Ireland?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEIt very much depends whether they made any application.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTWhy did it take such a long time for the Commissioners to come to a decision in regard to the allocation of this fund?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEBecause the subjects are considerably complex.