§ 50. Mr. J. Morganasked the Minister of Agriculture what is the approximate number of acres of sugar-beet offered up to the 1st February for the 1940 contract compared with the corresponding figures for 1939; and what is the acreage desired by the Government for the coming season's crop?
§ Mr. RamsbothamContracts received by the British Sugar Corporation up to the week ending 3rd February covered approximately 252,000 acres. The acreage contracted for at the corresponding time last year was 320,000. The Government hopes that as part of the programme of increased food production an increase of 50,000 acres over last year's acreage may be secured.
§ Mr. MorganDoes that mean that the Government are already 100,000 acres behind in their sugar-beet contract; and, if so, what reason is to be ascribed for this?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThe acreage of sugar-beet for 1939 was 340,000 acres; and the acreage aimed at is 390,000.
§ Mr. MorganSo that you are 100,000 acres behind? A very serious position.
§ Sir J. LambIs it not a fact that acreage is purely a matter of contracts?
§ 54. Mr. J. Morganasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in order to prevent a likely drop in contracted acreage for sugar-beet for next season, and as an inducement to farmers to size up the required acreage, the Government will themselves take complete responsibility 950 for getting the beet lifted at harvest time by military and other special labour arrangements at the time, good production being assured by farmers only being paid for the beet grown on their delivery at the sugar factory on a quantity-plus-quality basis as now?
§ Mr. RamsbothamIt is not practicable for the Government to take complete responsibility, as suggested, for the harvesting of any particular crop, but the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Agriculture will do everything possible to secure that sufficient labour is available for sugar-beet lifting.
§ Mr. MorganDo not the Government realise that it is precisely this labour difficulty which accounts for 7,000 acres of sugar-beet being still in the ground and the 100,000 acres for which farmers are not contracting? Why not contract to lift it and then every contract would be signed?
§ Mr. RamsbothamThe uncertain conditions of war-time make it impossible to give any firm guarantee. For instance, the Government could not guarantee that soldiers would be available at any certain time.
§ Mr. MorganI do not mean soldiers in the literal sense, but that you should guarantee to get the sugar-beet out of the ground.