§ 70. Mr. R. McNEILLasked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether the recent requisitioning of 10 acres of land in the parish of Barnes for the purpose of erecting workshops for the Glendower Aircraft Company was done by the Air Minister or with his sanction; whether he is aware that the land requisitioned was highly cultivated and produced three crops per annum, and that the spring crops were destroyed, and an orchard of plum trees in their prime was cut down; whether another 5 acres of similar land in the same locality have now been requisitioned for the same purpose; whether he is aware that, although the workshops on this land have been completed for a considerable time, no machinery has yet been erected; and if he will say whether this transaction was carried out after consultation with the Board of Agriculture?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of MUNITIONS (Mr. Kellaway)I have been asked to reply to this question, and am obliged to my hon. Friend for having postponed it. The 10 acres of land in question was not requisitioned, but was purchased by the company for the purpose of erecting workshops. Owing to the extreme urgency, new facilities were required at that time for the building of complete aeroplanes. The firm was doing extremely good work with very limited facilities, and the extension was strongly recommended by the then Director of Aircraft Production. The land contained some very old plum trees, some 512 of which were cut down; others are still standing. On the rest of the land that has been disturbed were some spring onions and cabbages, none of which were destroyed, the tenant being able to remove the whole of the crop in April and May for transplantation. The tenant removed everything of any value, and the total compensation paid under the Agricultural Holdings Act was £260.
The company bought another 5 acres of similar land in the same locality. This land is under cultivation, and will not be interfered with until after the War. The workshops were completed two months ago. Machinery is in the workshops, but production has not begun owing to the difficulty of obtaining material to put the machinery into running. This difficulty has now been overcome, and the factory will soon be producing. The Board of Agriculture was not consulted by the Aircraft Production Department.