Sir J. D. REESasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether his Department is responsible for the policy announced by the Agricultural Organisation Society of establishing depots at which milk will be delayed to be mixed, pasteurised, cooled, and sent on once a day to London or other destination, by which arrangement the milk will not reach the consumer within thirty-eight hours, as a minimum, since it left the cow at an extra cost of 2d. a gallon; and whether he will intervene to assure the public the advantage it has hitherto enjoyed of having two daily milkings sent directly and independently of one another to London?
§ Mr. PRATTOn the recommendation of the Committee on the Production and Distribution of Milk, presided over by my hon. and gallant Friend the Parliamentary; Secretary of the Local Government Board, the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries,
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— April, 1914. April, 1916. April, 1910. No. Amount. No. Amount. No, Amount £ £ £ Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 570 132,098 644 147,406 708 245,700 Agricultural Wages Board — — — — 41 29,136 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 31 8,947 33 10,162 29 11,123 Food Production Department — — — — 287 110,800 Total for Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 601 141,040 677 157,568 1,065 396,759 in order to improve and increase the milk supply, decided to assist in the establishment of co-operative milk depots in certain districts. They also adopted the Committee's recommendation of acting through the Agricultural Organisation Society and obtained Treasury sanction to make loans where necessary. These loans were to be repayable in yearly instalments at 6 per cent. interest and in no case was the amount of the loan to exceed the share capital raised by the members of the society. The depots started under this scheme are all remote from London and gather milk which could not be expected to reach London at all except by the establishment of the depot system of collection and dispatch.