§ 14. Mr. WILLIAM THORNEasked the- Under-Secretary of State for War whether the military authorities recently requisitioned a 22-acre field of autumn- sown wheat for a military camp, and that complaints have been made about the- matter in the neighbourhood where the camp is fixed; and if he intends taking any action in the matter?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given in another place on the 20th instant by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture. The field was required for necessary extension of the aerodrome to secure safer landings and to provide additional accommodation, and it was the only field suitable for the purpose. The original aerodrome was dangerous for pupils when it was a one-squadron station; now that a second squadron is to be stationed there the danger is doubled. In fact, the additional squadron could not be stationed there unless the wheatfield were acquired, and the alternative would have been to acquire a new aerodrome, which would have entailed the acquisition of perhaps 200 acres of agricultural land and the expenditure of thousands of pounds on road-making, water supply, and other services.