Evening star., 1940-02-18
Britain''s Agriculture
Is Seen Source Of
Much Anxiety
Not Enough Lond Being
Broken Up to Increase,
Crops, Critics Soy
BY n. J. J. SARGENT.


has always been a hobby of politic-
ians on one side or the other to crit
icize the agricultural policy of the
government in power and the pessi-
mistic forecasts of these people must,
to some extent, be discounted, but
there Is no hiding the fact that
anxiety prevails in quarters which
have no ak to grind and which only
have the good of the country at
heart.
When Britain entered the present
war the arabic acreage was 2,250,0O0
less than it was at the beginning Of
the World War in 1914 and there
were 250,060 fewer workers employed
on the land. In the four years be-
tween 1914 and 1918, largely under
the lead given by David Lloyd
George, who is still one of the great
forces influencing agricultural pol
icy in this country, over three mil
lion acres of grassland was broken
up and put under plough.
1t was this agricultural policy
which was responsible for the rec
ord harvest of 1918 which went far
to save the country from starvation
and ably seconded the activities of
the anti-Submarine section of the
allied navies and the convoy sys-
TEN. It must be said that while the
allied destroyers and the allied con-
voys were very much in the lime
light little was said about the great
effort Of the English farmers which
Is now forgotten by all but few
experts and statisticians.
Wasteful SIaughtering.
Last September found this coun-
try woefully short of every kind OF
food for cattle, pigs and poultry and
to very large extent this shortage
still exists. It has led and is still
leading to the wasteful slaughter.
ing of stock and has spelt the ruin
of many breeders of livestock. When
1t became clear that war was unfor-
tunately inevitable voices were raised,
warning the government that it was
high time to lay in supplies of Ger
eals and fodder. The government
did collect some of these supplies
In particular, large quantities of
wheat were purchased and also a
great deal of whale oil which can
be used either for the manufacture
of margarine or of explosives. -
Informed opinion says that the
government began too late with its
building up of stores and, anyhow.
did not buy them in sufficient guam
tity. Possibly one of the reasons
why not more stores were purchased
was that the necessary accommoda-
ton for keeping them was not avail
able. There is a great deal to be
said for that in view of the rela-
lively small area of the country as
compared with the density of the
population and its consequent ca
pacity for consuming supplies.
The government now proposes to
take steps to increase the supply of
food to more than double what it
was at the end of 1899. Last De-
cember this supply had reached al
most starvation figures as It was
officially admitted that there was
only 80 per cent Of the normal re-
quirements available for distribu-
ton. Now the governments policy
is to bring that figure up to 66 per
cent, which, while still on the mod
est side, will at all events put an
end to the indiscriminatH slaugh-
tering of stock.
Some criticism is expressed of
the cabinets decision to plow up
1000, 900 acres, and comparisons are
drawn between that figure and the
acres broken up during the last war.
No very clear explanation is fur
nished for these reduced figures,
and it is possible that growing
public opinion may bring pressure
to bear on the government to have
the acreage increased.
The government has power under
emergency legislation to serve notices
on owners of land, requiring them
to put holdings under plow. 1t is
noticeable that public criticism of
the governments agricultural policy
does not come only from Liberal and
Labor quarters. Tory opinion is not
undisturbed and although not as
vocal as opposition Liberals and
Laborites, certain Conservative men,
bers of Parliament have not hesi-
tated to support opposition criticism
Of the cabinets food plans.
Inadequate Distribution.
One of the complaints most gen.
orally heard is that of inadequate
distribution. Certain districts have
supplies in fairly adequate guam
tity, whereas others 60 absolutely
short. It is also said that certain
industries are allotted supplies, to
which inequity they they should not
be entitled. The supply of barley,
for instance, is unrationed to brew
ers, with the result that pig breeders
cannot get enough for their wants.
It is the same with chicken farmers,
and the wisecrack has been made
that you can have either beer or ba-
con and eggs, but you cannot have
both.
The breaking up of grassland is
bound to have an effect on the un-
employment figures of this country.
Already there is marked reduction
In the numbers of men out of work
and within the next six months it is
anticipated that another 250,000 will
be absorbed partly in war factories,
partly in the engineering industry
and particularly in the shipbuilding
section of it, and partly on the land
The ministry of labor, which looks
after the unemployed, would be very
glad to hear, am sure, that the gov
eminent had decided to put another
million acres under the plow.