§ 51. Major Milnerasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give full details of the facilities available under the Agricultural Requisite Scheme set up by the Act of 1940, indicating what requisites and financial aid can be had, from whom, and in what cases reference to the Ministry is necessary?
Mr. HudsonThe agricultural requisites which may be provided under the scheme include seeds, fertilisers, machinery and implements, feeding-stuffs, tractor fuel, coke and coal, machinery overhauls, silos, tripods for harvesting, mole drainage, ditching, and contractors' services for ploughing, cultivating, harvesting or threshing. Applications for assistance under the scheme are made to County War Agricultural Executive Committees, and if they are approved, the committees order the requisites. The committees 1441 refer to the Ministry any applications which they consider doubtful or exceed the sum of £100. I am sending the hon. Member copies of two leaflets describing the scheme, which have been widely circulated.
§ Major MilnerIs the Minister aware that these facilities are not at all generally known, and will he give full publicity to them; and can he tell me what advantage is being taken of them to date?
Mr. HudsonI hope that the hon. and gallant Member's Question will help to give publicity to these facilities. In the past they have not been taken full advantage of in the way that I should like, but we have relaxed several of the conditions materially in the course of the last week or two, and the amended scheme will, I hope, be taken much greater advantage of in the future.