Sir K1NGSLEY WOODasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether ho is aware that complaints have been made by allotment-holders at Waltham Abbey in regard to the annual flooding in the Lea Valley; and whether he will take action on this matter with the appropriate authorities?
Sir. ARTHUR BOSCAWENIn August, 1917,the Board received a petition on the subject from the allotment-holders referred to in the question, and they asked the district council to inquire into the matter. The council came to the conclusion that the only method of draining the allotments would be to clean out and deepen the ditch in the south-east corner, but they pointed out that if this were done it would cause the water to flow back into the ditch whenever floods occurred in the River Lea, and thus cause more frequent floodings of the allotments. In the circumstances, the Board regret that they are unable to take any furl her fiction in the matter.
Sir K. WOODasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he can now publish a Return giving those local authorities which have acquired on lease for allotments under the Small-holdings and Allotments Act, 1908, in accordance with the Board's recommendation in the Circular of November, 1918, land previously acquired under the Cultivation of Lands Order, the area of land, the number of allotment-holders provided for, and the rent per rod charged to the holders in each case; and, failing these particulars being at present available, whether he will call upon local authorities to furnish such Returns as early as possible?
Sir A. BOSCAWENNegotiations between local authorities and owners are proceeding in a large number of cases, but the information required by my hon. Friend is not likely to become available for some time.
Sir K. WOODasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture 415W whether he is aware that loss has been sustained by allotment holders at Waltham Abbey in consequence of a plague of rats in the district in proximity to the local council's sewage farm; and whether he will take action with the local authority with a view to the removal of this evil?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe Board have received no information or complaint as to loss sustained by allotment-holders at Waltham Abbey in consequence of the plague of rats in that district. Complaints as to the prevalence of rats have been received from other districts in the county of Essex, and the attention of the local authority of the county has been drawn to these, and they have been repeatedly urged by the Board to take measures to enforce the provisions of the Rats Order and to secure systematic and effective destruction of rats in their district. It rests with the local authority to enforce the necessary measures, but the Board are willing that their technical adviser should make local inquiry into the matter and advise the local authority as to the best means of dealing with it.
Sir K. WOODasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what steps have been taken by the owner of the piece of land at Fife Road, East Sheen, from which a number of allotment-holders were recently rejected, to cultivate the ground for the production of food on the conditions on which the land was re leased from the obligations of the Cultivation of Lands Order?