§ Mr. S. SAMUELasked the President of the Board of Agriculture (1) whether he is aware that several applications have been made to the Wandsworth Borough Council by working men for permission to establish co-operative piggeries on land cultivated in allotments under the Cultivation of Lands Order, 1917 (No. 2), and that the Board of Agriculture have informed the borough council that they have no power to sanction pig-keeping on such land; whether he is aware that land of this character is considered by experts to be most suitable for the purpose of pig-keeping owing to the abundance of vegetable food available for the animals, and that the impasse is causing dissatisfaction among working men in that locality; and whether, seeing that the Department is urging the keeping of pigs wherever possible so as to increase the production of food, he will at once take steps to extend the Cultivation of Lands Order in order to facilitate the operations of local co-operative societies as suggested by the Wandsworth Borough Council; and (2) whether he is aware that difficulties have been felt in the case of a scheme to establish co-operative piggeries on a site on Putney Lower Common by a body of working men at Putney, who have raised a capital of nearly £500 for the purpose, the conservators of the common raising no objection to the proposal and the site being one which the Wandsworth Borough Council consider to be eminently suitable, as it is far removed from any dwelling-house and on a part of the common little used by the public; and what action he proposes to take?
§ Mr. PROTHEROI have asked for a full report on the schemes referred to, and am fully alive to the anxiety of allotment holders and others in the borough of Wandsworth to keep pigs. The Board at present have no power under the Defence of the Realm Regulations to empower local authorities to acquire land for the establishment of piggeries. The use of common land for this purpose is a problem 183W which presents many difficulties. Meanwhile the question of acquiring the necessary powers is receiving the careful consideration of the Board.