§ 28. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will have complete statistics collected and made public from each county in England and Wales of the acreage of grass land ordered to be ploughed, the acreage actually ploughed, and the cropping, as well as the result, whether good, moderate, partial, or total failure?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir R. Winfrey)The collection of the full statistics and details to which my hon. Friend refers will not in any case be possible until after harvest, and will necessitate an exhaustive inquiry, the time and labour for which are not at present available. If it appears that any valuable information can be obtained from such statistics as are asked for, the Board, after examining the detailed figures of the production of this year's crops, will consider how the figures can be best obtained.
§ Mr. PETOAre we to understand from the reply that the necessary labour will 681 be available after harvest to collect these statistics, and that the Board of Agriculture will have the figures before them; and, if so, is it not simply a question that one county may know with what success another county has had in carrying out the policy?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe Board recognises the importance of the question. It is only a question of the particular time at which it can be done.