AGRICULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. (Hansard, 25 June 1906)

§ LORD BARNARD

My Lords, I rise to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has been able to consider the representations made to the Secretary of the Board, on December 5th last, by a deputation from universities, colleges, and agricultural institutions; 579 and whether there is any prospect of an increased grant to such institutions.

In the autumn of last year the various university institutions of this country which are engaged in the teaching of and research in agriculture, finding that the Government grant was not sufficient to enable them to carry out their work satisfactorily, organised a deputation to the then President of the Board of Agriculture in order to press upon him their claims for an increase in that grant. Unfortunately, on the date fixed for the deputation Mr. Fellowes, the then President, although he had not yet gone out of office, thought that the circumstances were such that he would not be justified in receiving the deputation; but as the gentlemen composing the deputation had come long distances, it was felt that it would be inconvenient to put them off, and with great courtesy the officials of the Board of Agriculture determined that Sir Thomas Elliott should receive the deputation. This he did on December 5th, and in reply to the representations which were then made he gave us a very sympathetic answer, and promised to lay those representations before the new President of the Board as soon as he came into office. I have no doubt that he did so, and that my noble friend Earl Carrington has studied them.

In asking the Question standing in my name, may I be permitted to impress upon the noble Earl that, as was stated by the deputation, we are not asking for money exclusively for instruction, but that we appeal to be placed on the same footing as other countries in being assisted by the Government with the means for carrying on agricultural research. I know it is a difficult thing to press for Government help for this and that object, but I venture to think that this is one of those objects which, without such help, cannot be attained at all. Very large profits are made in many branches of industry in this country which are represented by technical instruction in the colleges, and the great captains of industry in those centres are no doubt able to assist very largely by pecuniary means the endowment both of research and instruction. But we all know the utter impossibility of obtaining such assistance from the agricultural industry. Therefore we look to be put upon an equal footing 580 with foreign countries. I believe that all foreign countries assist very materially in this particular line, and I think I am right in saying that in England we are behind even Scotland, and certainly behind Ireland, in regard to Government help for this particular object.

I sincerely hope that if the noble Earl the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries cannot promise us a grant in the immediate future, he will hold out some hope of further assistance of some kind. At Armstrong College we found it impossible during the past year, and it will be impossible in the present year, to carry on the agricultural department, of which I have the honour to be president, without additional support. The result is that we had to go to the council of the college last year and beg for an extra grant of £100 a year, and I hold in my hand a letter from the secretary of the college, intimating that the council had agreed to this grant for a further year, but had expressed the opinion that it was high time the State did more for agricultural education. The money voted for this purpose at the-present moment is£10,000. The addition of a few thousand pounds would make all the difference.

§ EARL CARRINGTON

My Lords, the deputation to which the noble Lord has; referred was a very important one. as it represented the universities and five or six colleges. It was introduced, I think, by Sir Isambard Owen, and letters of sympathy were sent by the Duke of Northumberland and other noble Lords who were unable to be present. The noble Lord who has called attention to the matter to-day himself made an important speech on that occasion, and probably no one had a greater right to speak than my noble friend, who is chairman of the agricultural committee of the Armstrong College. In his speech the noble Lord then urged that help should; be given to those who helped themselves, and he has brought before your Lordships this afternoon an instance of how the subject being tackled in the Armstrong College and the way in which they have helped themselves.

I can say that His Majesty's Government appreciate all these efforts to provide better facilities for agricultural education. I think everybody will agree 581 that no money could be better spent than that applied in helping farmers to meet the fierce and growing competition which they have to encounter from all sides. The Exchequer has not been ungenerous to my Department. In 1889 £4,500 a year was voted towards this object, and in 1906 the Vote had risen to £11,500. The sum is small, it is true, when compared with the amounts voted in other countries, but it is satisfactory to note that the country has received the full value of the grant owing to the cordial co-operation and good work of the different county councils.

It must not be forgotten that the burden of public expenditure is already heavy, and that it is proposed to provide an extra £1,000,000 for the maintenance of Church schools. At the same time I think that this question is one which might receive the practical consideration of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I would venture to propose to the noble Lord that some inquiry should be held into the system of agricultural education. There has been no inquiry since 1888—nearly twenty years ago. If it should appear, as I venture to think it would, that there is good ground for an increase of grant, I think those who advocate such an increase would find their hands strengthened very considerably, and it would be possible for us to address ourselves to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the subject with stouter hearts. The Government are grateful to the noble Lord for putting the Question, as it gives us an opportunity of expressing our full sympathy with the object he has in view and our earnest desire to see those objects carried out at the earliest possible opportunity.