§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent the Essex Agricultural Committee or the East Anglian Institute of Agriculture is financially assisted from Government funds; what is the number of students and staff; and what is the extent of the activities.
1420W
§ Mr. ELLIOTThe Ministry pays grant at the rate of 60 per cent. of the approved net expenditure incurred by the Essex County Council on agricultural education. During the financial year 1932–33, the last year for which definite figures are available, the Ministry's grant amounted to £8,565. The staff employed by the authority numbers 27, and the number of students admitted to the Institute during the session 1933–34 was 95. The activities of the staff cover all branches of agriculture, and include courses at the Institute as well as extramural work in the county. The former consist of degree, diploma and certificate courses in agriculture and horticulture, as well as diploma and certificate courses in dairying and poultry keeping. The authority maintain a poultry station and a horticultural station for practical work. The extra-mural work consists of the conduct of organised courses at various centres in all these subjects, as well as visits of advice to, and the conduct of experiments and demonstrations on, many farms in all parts of the county. The number of students attending the organised courses during the session 1933–34 was 302. In addition, the staff has been responsible for the formation and conduct of young farmers' clubs, 14 in number, with a membership of 197.