§ Mr. R. GWYNNEasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that Form A221/S, issued under the Defence of the Realm Act by his Board, was posted to reach farmers on the 18th March, by which they were required, under threat of fine or imprisonment, to fill it in with detailed information, and return it on the same day; and. whether, bearing in mind that farmers are not a Government Department and therefore unprovided with a staff to answer letters by return of post, he will instruct his officials to allow a little more time for obtaining the information they require?
§ Mr. PROTHEROThe form referred to was posted from the Department to the farmers of the country as rapidly as the addresses could be written between the 11th and 18th instant. I am sorry that those farmers who received the form on the last of the days had so little time to deal with it, although that should in no case have proved very difficult, as only two items of information were required. In the cases to which my hon. Friend refers, however, he may rest assured that every allowance will be made for the unavoidably slow return of the forms.