§ 69. Sir ROBERT CLOUGHasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that before the War farmers paid between 2s. 4d. and 3s. 6d. for shoeing all round for horses, whereas now they are charged from 9s. to 12s. 6d. for four shoes, although iron was never so cheap; and, seeing that this bears hardly on small carters, carriers, and other small traders, will he have an inquiry made into the matter?
§ old and under for the years 1919, 1920, and 1921.
§ Major BARNSTONAs the answers to these questions contain a number of figures, I will, with the permission of my hon. and gallant Friend, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The answers are as follow:
§ The classification in the returns collected annually in June is "Cattle, under one year (including calves)." The numbers of such animals returned in the three years 1919-21 in Great Britain and the United Kingdom respectively were as follow:—
| Great Britain. | Great Britain. | |
| No. | No. | |
| 1910 | 1,444,808 | 2,667,163 |
| 1920 | 1,123,298 | 2,319,388 |
| 1921 | 1,341,483 | 2,580,144 |
§ Major BARNSTONMy right hon. Friend (Sir A. Boscawen) is aware that the charges of farriers have increased considerably since 1914, but as the Government have abandoned the policy of fixing prices, he does not think that any useful purpose would be served by an inquiry into the matter. He would point out that this question was fully investigated at the end of 1919 by a sub-committee of the Standing Committee on Trusts.