§ THE EARL OF DERBYI rise to ask the noble Lord the President of the Board of Agriculture a Question of which I have given him private notice—namely, whether instructions can be sent to the remount officers in country districts not to take, unless it is absolutely necessary, farmers' horses and the horses of millers and bakers. There is no doubt whatever that in some districts farmers' horses are being taken. It is most important that farmers should be allowed to retain their agricultural horses at all events until they have got in this year's harvest and prepared the ground for next year's.
LORD LUCASMy Lords, the general instructions under which the officers who are at present acquiring horses for the War Office are acting are that they should have special regard to the requirements of farmers. The number of heavy horses of the cart-horse type which the Army want is comparatively small, so that there ought not to have arisen any case where an undue number was requisitioned from any particular farmer. With regard to the case of tradesmen or firms dealing in articles that are of the utmost importance to the civilian community, among which one includes food stuffs generally, petrol, medicine, and such things, instructions have been sent out by the War Office to their remount officers that they should not take any lorries or motor vehicles from these tradesmen without special reference to the War Office. I do not speak with certainty, but I think the same instructions are going to apply with regard to taking horses from firms dealing in those commodities. If any case of individual hardship arises, the right person to make complaint to is the local remount officer; but in cases of a more widespread character in which a whole district is involved, the best course would be to make the complaint to the War Office.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYI know of cases where certain farmers have had all their horses taken, whilst a few miles off farmers have not had any taken. The remount officer is told to collect a quota, and when he has got the quota he stops. Perhaps the fact of calling public attention to the matter will have a good result.
LORD LUCASWe have received at the Board of Agriculture one or two complaints of this sort, and in all cases I have instructed my officers to investigate and try as far as possible, without of course in any way interfering with mobilisation, to make arrangements to meet the requirements of the farmers concerned.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYI am much obliged to the noble Lord.