§ Sir I. Alberyasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can now make a further statement concerning plans for using young people to assist on the land?
§ Mr. R. S. HudsonYes, Sir. I am about to bring into operation a scheme for assisting boys leaving public and secondary schools, and those who have recently left, to obtain employment in agriculture until they reach military age. The scheme has been prepared in consultation with the representatives of the headmasters of these schools, and full particulars will appear in the Press shortly. I am inviting individual headmasters to co-operate by making the scheme known to their pupils and arranging for application forms to be forwarded to my Department. The County War Agricultural Executive Committees have been asked to obtain the names of farmers willing to take these boys and to help in placing them
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§ Mr. Roland Robinsonasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is proposing to make an appeal for additional voluntary helpers to assist farmers in haymaking?
§ Mr. HudsonThe County War Agricultural Executive Committees have all been asked to make arrangements in a variety of ways for securing the additional help that will be wanted at harvest time. Conditions differ, of course, in different parts of the country, and local arrangements are, therefore, to be preferred; but I shall certainly be willing to make any further appeal that may be found necessary.
§ Major Carverasked the Minister ofAgriculture what steps are being taken to utilise the services of expert agriculturists who have fled here from the Low Countries?
§ Mr. HudsonRefugees are being asked on arrival in this country to register with an Employment Exchange. Those with agricultural qualifications will be put forward for agricultural vacancies notified to the exchanges, which are working in close touch with the County War Agricultural Executive Committees in this matter. Farmers who are in need of labour should send in particulars of their requirements to the nearest exchange.