§ 40. Mr. HOUSTONasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether it has been proved by experiment that sugar beet can be cultivated in this country, and whether he can explain why the cultivation of sugar beet has been neglected during the War, in view of the shortage of sugar in this country and the waste of fruit caused by the shortage of sugar or sugar syrup obtainable from the sugar beet?
§ Sir RICHARD WINFREY (Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. But it has not yet been proved that the cultivation and manufacture are commercial propositions. The limited resources of the country do not at present justify the Board, on the ground of the extra amount of food obtainable from the soil, in demanding the machinery and buildings required for a sugar factory. Farmers have been making every effort to maintain and increase their normal production of food. It would be difficult to induce them to embark upon the growth of a new crop requiring for its cultivation special knowledge, a large quantity of fertilisers, and a greater supply of labour and of skilled labour.
§ Mr. HOUSTONIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that it does not require any extensive factories or machinery to extract the syrup from beet, and are there not plenty of German prisoners of war accustomed to beet-growing?
§ Mr. FIELDIs it the fact that the Government have not offered inducements to growers of beetroot in this country, and in Ireland as well?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe conclusion come to is that it is not a practical proposition in war-time.
§ 43. Mr. PETOasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the decision with regard to the refusal of sugar supplies to fruit growers will be reconsidered, with a view to avoiding the waste of labour and transportation involved in a system of collection of fruit to centres and redistribution in the form 1430 of jam; whether he will see that the public are advised at an early date that such sugar as may be available will be distributed equitably between growers of fruit and manufacturers of jam; and whether he will consider, in order to avoid discrimination in favour of fruit growers, a system requiring the marketing and distributing all jam made above a certain fixed ration per member of the household?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of FOOD (Mr. Clynes)Whether it will be possible to make allotments of sugar for jam-making to those who grow their own fruit must depend on the stocks of sugar available at the time. Lord Rhondda yesterday,. in another place, stated his intention of doing everything in his power to encourage jam-making and to prevent any avoidable waste of fruit; he further expressed the hope that the supplies of sugar would enable reasonable allotments to be made to private growers. I may add that in settling arty scheme of distribution, the points raised by my hon. Friend will be borne in mind.
§ Mr. PETOMay I ask the hon. Gentleman whether preference will be given to the wholesale manufacturers of jam in the distribution of any sugar that is available, or will it be equitably divided between small growers of fruit who desire to make jam in their own homes, and the manufacturers?
§ Mr. CLYNESThe intention is to distribute sugar available only amongst those who grow their own fruit, and of course it will be equitably distributed.
§ Mr. PETOI want to know whether the distribution between the wholesale manufacturers of jam and the growers of fruit will be equitable, or whether the wholesale manufacturers of jam will have the first pull on any sugar available
§ Mr. CLYNESI would like notice of that question.
§ Mr. PETOAs I have received no reply, I beg to give notice that I will call attention to this subject on the Motion for the Adjournment of the House.
§ Mr. CLYNESI require notice of that question.