§ Sir MAURICE LEVYasked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state the number of horses purchased by the Food Production Department, their average cost, to what areas they are apportioned, the number of men attendant upon, the horses, and the cost of maintenance; also how many tractors have been purchased by the Department, the average cost, the charge per acre for ploughing, and the cost to the Department for ploughing per acre; and the number of the tractors which have been found unsuitable for the work for which they were provided?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThree thousand five hundred horses have been purchased at an average cost of about £80 per horse. The number of men attendant on the horses at present is 1.025. The horses have been allocated to forty-four counties in England and ten in Wales. The majority are hired out to farmers, who provide their keep at their own expense, paying 12s. a week for the hire of the horses. The total number of tractors actually acquired by the Department to date is 1,949. Of these, 194 1197W have been allocated to Scotland and Ireland. The average cost, exclusive of freight, is approximately £300 each. The charge for ploughing is fixed by the Agricultural Executive Committee for each contract, and varies from 17s. 6d. to 30s. per acre, according to the character of the land and other conditions. With regard to the cost to the Department for ploughing by tractors, my hon. Friend is referred to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Andover on the 14th instant. The number of tractors which have been found unsuitable for the work for which they were provided is about 100.