§ EARL DE LA WARRMy Lords, I beg to move that the Special Order, as reported from the Special Orders Committee on Thursday last, be approved. This relates to the Order required to put into force the Bacon Development Scheme. This Scheme really follows on naturally from the passage of the Pig 1019 Marketing Scheme and the Bacon Marketing Scheme two years ago. Indeed, your Lordships may remember that the Development Scheme was promised during the debates in another place and in your Lordships' House, and if there is anything required to be said in justification of this Scheme, I should say it would rather be in the form of an apology to the House for having been so long in bringing it forward. Great stress was laid upon it in the Lane-Fox Report. It represents an attempt to bring together the Pigs Board and the Bacon Board, and to enable them to regard certain major problems of their industry from the point of view of the industry as a whole. It is somewhat novel machinery, consisting of four representatives of the Pigs Board, four representatives of the Bacon Board and three nominees of the Ministers concerned. They will deal with such problems as licensing bacon factories, licensing new construction, and the general problem of bringing about an increased efficiency of the industry by rationalisation of the bacon factories and general questions of education and research connected with the prosperity of the industry.
Certain of these powers will be inherent in the Board from the day it is appointed, and other of the powers will be subject to resolutions of the two Boards concerned. We are hoping that the work- of this Board will lead to the constructive development of the industry. It is perfectly true that some people feel that these powers of licensing new factories might be used for the entirely negative purpose of restricting the industry and keeping it in the hands of those who are already in the industry but on the other hand they can be used for the constructive planning of the industry—not so much for restricting new effort as for seeing that new effort, where it is brought in, shall be properly applied. I can assure your Lordships that it is the intention and hope of His Majesty's Government that the powers of this Board, which are considerable, will be used in a constructive sense. It will be our endeavour by every means that we can use to see that that is so.
§ Moved, That the Special Order, as reported from the Special Orders Committee on Thursday last, be approved.—(Earl De La Warr.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.