31. Mr. M ACM ASTERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the line of demarkation between the respective duties of the President of the Board of Agriculture and the Food Controller so as to make it perfectly clear that the President of the Board of Agriculture, as a member of the Government, is alone responsible for the home productions of agricultural or other products to the extent required by national necessities, and that the function of the Food Controller, as a member of the Government, is the distribution of home productions and imported supplies, and the fixing of prices thereof when necessary?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir G. Cave)By the Act appointing him (6 and 7 2118 George V., cap. 68) the Food Controller is the Minister responsible for maintaining a proper supply of food, and is authorised to take such steps as he thinks best for encouraging the production of food. Almost immediately after his appointment Lord Devonport arranged with the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Secretary for Scotland, and the Chief Secretary for Ireland that the duty of stimulating food production in the three countries should be undertaken by them, and that whenever the Food Controller deemed it necessary to take action, either to stimulate supplies or to protect the interests of the consumers, he would confer with his colleagues of the Agricultural Departments.