§ Mr. RAFFANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that a circular, purporting to have been written by an employé of the Agricultural Wholesale Society, has been circulated by the Agricultural Organisation Society containing serious allegations against a body which is not in receipt of Government subsidies and also against certain members of that body; whether his attention has been-called to a complaint made to the Development Commission regarding the matter and to the fact that the employé in question has denied having written this circular, and has stated that it was compiled without his authority in the offices of the Agricultural Organisation Society and published by them without his sanction; that the employé has since admitted that statements contained in that circular are without foundation; whether the Agricultural Organisation Society is still subsidised by grants from the Development Commission; whether the issue by the Agricultural Organisation Society of such communications designed to injure a self-supporting body is sanctioned by the Development Commission; and what 87W action he proposes to take in the matter to prevent such misuse of taxpayers' money?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am informed that the attention of the Development Commissioners has been drawn to a document which appears to be a confidential memorandum issued by the Agricultural Organisation Society to its officials. The Commissioners were informed by the complainants that the alleged writer of the memorandum has made the statements mentioned in the question. They have referred the matter to the Ministry of Agriculture, through whom and under whose supervision the grant of £28,000 made to the society from the Development Fund is paid, for any further inquiry which may be thought necessary.
§ Mr. RAFFANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the special allotments grant to the Agricultural Organisation Society has been stopped; if so, for what reason the Treasury has so decided; what is the total amount of grants the Agricultural Organisation Society may receive this year; upon what basis are grants given to the society; whether the society is still in receipt of any grants for allotments and, if so, what is the amount; whether any of the grants go to allotment societies or go entirely to the Agricultural Organisation Society's central office; whether last year, of the total grants of £45,000 to the Agricultural Society, at least £35,000 was spent in salaries and expenses of officials; what means are taken to supervise the expenditure of public money by this society; and whether he will take steps with a view to the immediate stoppage of all Government grants to the society, directly or indirectly, in respect of allotments, seeing that work for allotment holders is being done by a body which has never asked for and is not in receipt of Government funds?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINNo special grant has been made to the Agricultural Organisation Society for allotments work for 1920–21, as the Development Commissioners did not consider the continuance of the special grant authorised during the War to be justified in present circumstances. As my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary informed the hon. Member for Newton on the 8th July last,88W a grant of £28,000 will be made to the society in aid of its general agricultural work this year. I am sending the hon. Member a statement of the conditions attached to the grant. In addition a grant of £4,000 is being made from the Small Holdings Account of the Ministry of Agriculture in aid of the society's work among smallholders in 1920–21. These grants are, I understand, intended to meet the salaries and expenses of officials engaged in the work of organisation.