62. Mr. W. FOOT MITCHELLasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Government will consider the desirability of introducing legislation in order to ensure to the farmer a greater share of the beet-sugar subsidy now granted to manufacturers?
§ Mr. GUINNESSThe price for sugar beets is settled by negotiation between the National Farmers' Union and the factory proprietors, and I see no necessity for the legislation suggested.
Mr. MITCHELLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, owing to the very large profits which are being made by the beet-sugar refineries, farmers are very dissatisfied with the proportion which they are receiving?
§ Mr. GUINNESSThe hon. Member will be aware that after this year the subsidy drops, and the National Farmers' Union have negotiated fresh terms which, I think, are not altogether a bad bargain from their point of view. Taking the average yield and sugar content, the factories will bear more than half the decrease.
§ Mr. HARDIEIs the Minister not aware that, even if you gave away the sugar for nothing, there would still be sufficient subsidy to show a profit; and is it not time to reduce that subsidy?
§ 63. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minis-ister of Agriculture the approximate increase in the number of workmen on the land as a result of the passing of the Sugar-Beet Act; and the number of workers on the land on the latest date for which figures are available and the number of employés on the land on 1st January, 1925?
§ Mr. GUINNESSI regret that I am not in a position to furnish the information asked for in the first part of the hon. Member's Question. As regards the second part, the total number of agricultural workers employed on agricultural holdings above one acre in extent as returned on 4th June, 1927, in England and Wales was 774,500 and 803,300 on 626 the corresponding date in 1925. It is significant that regular workers in the same period have increased from 639,300 to 649,700, while casual workers have dropped from 164,000 to 124,800.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSHas the right hon. Gentleman attempted to obtain the figures asked for in the first part of the question, so that the House may have some idea of the real value, from an employment point of view, of the subsidy?
§ Mr. GUINNESSI am afraid it is impossible to get the figures. There are no means of doing so.
§ Mr. LANSBURYIf the right hon. Gentleman can get the figures on the one side, can he not also get the numbers of the men displaced in London, Liverpool and elsewhere through home-grown sugar beet displacing foreign sugar beet?