§ Sir J. LAMBasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state for each financial year since 1920–21, including the estimated figures for 1930–31, the amount of expenditure by the Exchequer and local authorities specifically authorised for purposes of schemes for the relief of unemployment among agricultural workers?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe following statement gives particulars of expenditure by the State and by statutory drainage
806WMay, 1930; and the number of such houses built for the same periods in 1927–28 and 1928–29, respectively?
§ Mr. GREENWOODThe figures are as follow:
authorities on land drainage and water supply schemes inaugurated during the winters of 1921–2 to 1925–6, under a programme designed to relieve unemployment in rural areas:
Financial Years. Year. Exchequer (net). Contributions by Statutory Drainage Authorities. £ £ 1921–2 130,593 234 1922–3 331,780 29,079 1923–4 150,471 123,357 1924–5 210,409 72,367 1925–6 93,847 25,403 1926–7 11,536 — 1927–8 -3,885* 965 1928–9 -660* 837 1929–30 -530* 518 Totals 923,561 252,760 The total net cost of these schemes was £1,421,977, the difference between this amount and the sum of the two columns above representing contributions by local landowners.
* Repayments to the Ministry in respect of schemes undertaken in accordance with the above programme.
Further programmes for the assistance of schemes of land drainage, field drainage, water supply and fen claying by means of grants from the Exchequer carried out in subsequent years were not specifically designed for the relief of unemployment in rural areas, but undoubtedly had some effect in that direction.