§ 23. Sir BERTRAM FALLEasked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that Mr. Baldwin, of 15, Chichester Road, Portsmouth, rented some seven acres of land near Bedhampton, Hants, of his Department at a rental of £6 per acre, and purchased £50 worth of early potatoes for seed; that the land was ploughed by the Government on 17th March, viewed by an expert on 5th April, re-ploughed by the same authority on 25th April, and that, finally, in view of the quality of the previous ploughing, the Department undertook, on 8th May, to re-plough the land, but that then the season was too late for early potatoes; and that Mr. Baldwin is considerably out of pocket by the loss of the use of the land and of his early potato seed; and if he will have the matter inquired into and Mr. Baldwin compensated?
§ Mr. PROTHEROInquiry has been made into this case, and reports have been obtained from the tractor supervisor and from the chairman of the district committee, 14 who is one of the best potato growers in the county. The latter states that the work was very well done, and that if the land had been planted with potatoes at once a good crop could have been obtained. The Department cannot admit, therefore, that Mr. Baldwin has any claim for compensation.
§ Sir B. FALLEIf the land was well ploughed at the beginning why did the Department offer to replough it free of cost on 8th May?
§ Mr. PROTHEROThat is not the information I have received.