§ 39. Mr. GILBERTasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if his Department has made any financial Grants to the Agricultural Organisation Society; if so what the amounts have been for last year and this year; if any conditions are attached to such Grants; and, if so, what the conditions are?
Sir A. BOSCAWENI would ask my hon. Friend if he will allow me to circulate the answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT as it is necessarily long.
§ The following is the Answer circulated:
§ The approved Grants to the Agricultural Organisation Society for the financial year 1918–19 are £7,000 from the Food Production Department, £4,000 from the Small Holdings Account, and from the Development Fund a block Grant of £5,800, to- 858 gether with a Grant equal to four times the amount of the Society's income from, contributions from affiliated farmers' societies during 1918–19, and a Grant equal to the amount of the subscriptions received in the same period. The Agricultural Organisation Society expect to be in a position to claim approximately £20,000 in all from the Development Fund (including the block Grant of £5,800) under this arrangement; but they cannot yet tell the sum precisely. The total Grant will, therefore, be approximately £31,000. The Grants from the Development Fund are not made by the Board and are not borne on their Estimates.
§ The Grants for 1917–18 were £2,000 from the Small Holdings Account, and £13,240' from the Development Fund.
§ The conditions under which the Grant from the Development Fund was sanctioned for 1918–19 were:—
- (1) That except with the consent of the Board the Society's expenditure shall not substantially depart from the estimate submitted, and that the rate of expenditure for the expenses of the governors and their attendance fees shall be subject to the approval of the Board.
- (2) That the Society shall not enter upon any new scheme or extensions of work (even though their initial expenses can be defrayed from their income from the current year), which shall commit it to an increase of expenditure in 1919–20 without the previous consent of the Board.
- (3) That the Grant be paid over to the Society in whole or in part at such times as may seem fit to the Board on the understanding that if the actual expenditure incurred by the Society and appearing to be reasonable and necessary is less than the amount so paid over the balance will be returned.
- (4) That in carrying out this work the Society shall be careful not to interfere in any way with the work of the constituted authorities in relation to education or food production.
- (5) That the Society use its best endeavours to obtain regular contributions from the affiliated farmers' societies by urging them to subscribe ¼d. in the £ on their turnover, and also to make a levy of 6d. per member.
- (6) That within a fortnight the Society submit a full Report to the Board on the steps taken to secure contributions by the affiliated farmers' societies and the results, obtained.
- (7) That the Board shall be represented upon the Executive Committee of the Society by two nominees.
§ As regards the Food Production Department Grant, the Agricultural Organisation Society are required to send monthly reports of the work done (and annual audited accounts) to the Food Production Department, while the Department hold constant conferences with the officers of the Society.