§ 47. Mr. RENDALLasked the Prime Minister whether an application by Mr. F. C. Constable, J.P., of Wick Court, Gloucester, on behalf of three discharged soldiers who voluntarily joined the Army in 1914 for 30 acres of land to work in co-operation, had been sent to the Ministry of Labour, the Local Government Board, and the Board of Agriculture; whether all the men were guaranteed as of good character, fit in health, and experienced in agriculture; what reply other than acknowledgments of these letters would be given; whether he realised that delay in the granting or refusal of these early applications would attract notoriety and would stop thousands of other discharged soldiers from attempting to obtain their living from the cultivation of land; and would he give an assurance that his proposals in this regard would be carried out and the applications of these men promptly considered and satisfied?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir Arthur Boscawen)The Board have received Mr. Constable's application, and he has been supplied with copies of the booklet explaining the Land Settlement scheme. He has also been requested to get the three men in question to fill in the necessary application forms, and forward them to the Gloucestershire County Council. The Board have written to the county council asking them to deal promptly with the applications when received.