§ 14. Sir J. SPEARasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office the terms on which the Government proposes to take farmers' wool; and will he provide that the demand of 2 lbs. per cwt. overweight,, which caused so much dissatisfaction last year, be discontinued?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe terms—I use the word "terms" in a technical sense—on. which the wool is purchased this year vary according to the areas in which it is grown. The scales of terms and allowances have in every area been drawn up by the local advisory committees, and before approval they have been scrutinised by experts to ensure that divergences did not exist between the different areas. With regard to drafts or the amount allowed as overweight, in accordance with a unanimous resolution passed at the Joint Conference of the Central Advisory Committee for England and Wales and the Advisory Committee for Scotland, these have now been made uniform throughout Great Britain and fixed at 1 1b. per cwt. on the gross weight of all classes of wool.
§ Sir J. SPEARIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that since farmers are liable I to prosecution—and rightly so—for having on their premises weights which are unjust, even if they be against themselves, they resent very strongly the Government coming in and demanding and taking by force 1 lb. per cwt. overweight as immoral and inconsistent?
§ Mr. FORSTERI am not aware of the difficulty to which my hon. Friend refers. This matter has been very carefully and closely considered by the very representative Committees to which I have alluded, 201 and on which farmers were very largely represented, and the decisions which they reached were unanimous.
§ Sir J. SPEARDoes the right hon. Gentleman think it a sound business principle to take 1 lb, per cwt. overweight? It is not the value of the pound, but farmers feel that it is unjust treatment.
§ Mr. FORSTERThat is not the opinion of the farmers who were on the Committees to which I have referred.