1 AUGUST 1931, Page 2

The agricultural discussions, on the other hand, have been distinctly

controversial, not only the two parties but the two Houses finding themselves at issue on the Agricultural Land Utilization Bill, which represents the Government's fulfilment of its promises to agriculture. On Friday, July 24th, Dr. Addison, with the amend- ments made in his Bill by the House of Lords before him, moved to disagree with practically all of them, and carried his resolutions by majorities which the absence of Labour members at a wedding made once or twice disturbingly narrow. Two questions were of particular importance, whether the measure should run without time limit, as the Bill proposed, or for four years as it read when the Lords had done their work on it. In the Commons, Dr. Addison proposed a limit of ten years, and when the measure went back to the Lords on Tuesday a compromise of eight was accepted. More fundamental was the Government's proposal to set up large-scale experimental farms under a business corporation. The Lords cut this out of the Bill altogether. Dr. Addison in the Commons insisted on its restoration, the Lords on Tuesday cut it out once more,. and the Commons, when the measure came back to thein the same day, acquiesced in the excision rather than protract the struggle with the other House.