§ Mr. CAUTLEYasked the President of the Board of Agriculture how much public money has been spent to date oh the Crown colony at Patrington, in the East Riding of York; what is the area of the colony; how many holdings have been provided and how many let; what is the area of arable land let and under cereal crops, unlet and under cereal crops, and unlet and not under cereal crops, respectively; "whether he is aware that this arable land is first-class wheat-growing land, and did, in fact, produce an average crop of six quarters to the acre in 1916 when let to ordinary farming tenants; and, seeing that the present manager is now advertising the lands in the local newspapers to let as a cattle and sheep run, will he say whether this is being done because he cannot find tenants for the holding into which it has been converted?
§ Mr. PROTHEROAbout £25,000 has so far been spent on the erection of cottages, purchase of live and dead stock, and wages at this colony, the area of which is 2,363 acres. No holdings have as yet been allotted. It must be remembered that able-bodied men capable of working a small holding are not yet being discharged from the Army, and that in the future applicants will receive at least one year's training under the Director before taking up land on their own account. Vacant possession of the land was obtained on the 6th April last. It is now being farmed as a whole by the director of the colony. The area under cereal crops is 900 acres, out of a total of 1,720 acres of arable land. This acreage would have been considerably larger had not the state of some of the arable land made a summer fallow essential. A further 260 acres of the total arable land is under roots, potatoes, and old seeds. The Board were aware when they purchased the estate that much of the arable land, when in a proper State of cultivation, was excellent wheat-growing land. The suggestion made in the last part of the question is incorrect: the director is merely offering to graize stock belonging to other farmers on some 289 acres of grass land, as the best use to which that particular grass land can be put.