§ Lieut.-Colonel WILLEYasked the Minister of Agriculture when payments of compensation to growers of wheat and oats in 1921 under the agreement reached on the repeal of the Agriculture Act, 1920, will actually be made?
Sir A. BOSCAWENBy the Corn Production Acts (Repeal) Act the payments in respect of wheat and oats produced this year are to be made on the 1st January, 1922, and the payments due will be made on that date on claims received by the Ministry not later than the 18th July last. Claims made after the 18th July were accepted as an act of grace, and on the understanding that no guarantee could be given that payment would be made on the 1st January.
§ Mr. GLANVILLEasked the Minister of Agriculture whether the value of the reductions made upon the claims under the Corn Production Acts exceeds the cost of the investigation; and, if so, why he has not arranged to have all the claims under the Acts investigated?
Sir A. BOSCAWENWithout elaborate inquiry, it is not possible to state whether the partial investigation carried out by county agricultural committees has resulted in a saving equal to its cost. I am aware that several county committees consider this to be the case, but taking the claims as a whole it does not appear probable that the reduction effected as a result of a complete inspection would have compensated for the additional cost involved.