§ 20. Mr. G. LAMBERTasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has official information showing that a number of young men are evading military service by purporting to be engaged in agricultural operations; and whether further labour can be withdrawn from the land without seriously jeopardising our home-grown food supply?
§ Mr. PROTHEROI have no knowledge that young men are evading military service by purporting to be engaged in agricultural operations; and if the right hon. Member will communicate to me any cases that he has in mind, I will have inquiries made. No doubt the present call jeopardises the production of home-grown food, and any further withdrawal of labour would, in my opinion, render the maintenance of the output impossible.
§ Mr. LAMBERTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that many farms will go out of cultivation unless labour is supplied by the replacement of that taken in the recent clean-cut?
§ Mr. PROTHEROI have heard of cases of the kind mentioned by the right hon. Gentleman. I myself think that possibly we may be able to pull through with the present call, but until the lists are fully in I cannot give any definite opinion.
§ Mr. PRINGLEWas any inquiry made as to the effect on individual farms before the clean-cut was decided upon?
§ Mr. PROTHERONo, Sir.