§ Mr. STANIERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the Board will consider the possibility of improving the organisation of the crop reports in consultation with their correspondents?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThe Board will be glad to consider any suggestions that may be submitted to them for the improvement of their crop reports.
§ Mr. STANIERalso asked what is the present cost of collecting the crop reports; how much is paid for the office part of the work and how much to the correspondents?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThe amount paid to the crop estimators last year was £2,872. The tabulation and summarisation of the Reports are part of the work of Board's staff, and the cost cannot be separately shown.
§ Mr. STANIERfurther asked whether the crop reports are collected through local practical agriculturists or by officials of the Board of Agriculture; and if the Board are aware that the reports are not considered untrustworthy by many agriculturists?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThe reports are supplied by local agriculturists, who are selected for the practical acquaintance with the agricultural conditions of their districts. The Board are aware that local objection is occasionally taken to the reports as affecting particular localities, but for the country as a whole the reports have been in previous years proved by results to be trustworthy.