48. Wing-Commander Jamesasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will take steps to reduce the immediate waste and the more permanent damage to land that will otherwise ensue from the shortage of bulldozers, to follow up the mechanical excavations of waterways and large ditches carried out by the W.A.E.C's and catchment boards, to spread the heaped soil sufficiently for occupiers to be able to deal with it.
Mr. HudsonI quite appreciate that spoil spreading has not always kept pace with the clearance of waterways and ditches by excavators. Owing to the urgent needs of the Armed Forces it has not been possible to secure all the spoil spreading equipment needed for land drainage purposes. The deliveries of bulldozers have however been more satisfactory in the last month or two and, subject to cropping considerations, I am hopeful that the work of spreading will now proceed more rapidly.