The House of Lords on Tuesday debated the Agriculture Bill
on second reading. Lord Lincolnshire moved its rejection on the ground that it would harass the industry and would introduce Protection. Lord Selbome admitted the importance of encour- aging farmers to produce more food, but doubted whether the Bill did not give too much security to bad farmers. Lord Crewe objected to the establishment of committees to restrict the farmer's liberty in cultivating his land, and Lord Ernie expressed his suspicion of the unduly wide powers given to the committees. Lord Milner reminded the House that it was to the interest of the nation to get the utmost out of the land,and that we should be in a much stronger financial position if we had not to import so much food, especially from America. To encourage the farmer to follow the Policy of the Plough, we must give him security. Lord Lee wound up the debate on Wednesday with a practical speech. He said that the adverse American exchanges added more to the price of wheat than the wheat cost before the war ; we should thus profit greatly by growing more and importing less. Only a lunatic would propose to plough up good permanent grass, but bad grass-land would yield more as amble. The Bill was read a second time by 123 votes to 85.
The Minister of Food, Mr. McCurdy, had to face a very critical House on Friday, December 3rd, when he introduced a Supple- mentary Estimate for £395,000. He declared that he had effected economies, but it turned out that the money for which he asked had all been spent and that the assent of the House would be an empty form. Until the House of Commons re-establishes its control over the spending departments by deliberately rejecting Estimates of this character, regardless of the consequences, Ministers will pay no heed. As it was, sixty Members had the courage to vote against the Government by way of protest, but the Estimate was carried by a majority of twenty-eight. Mr. McCurdy declared once more that the Food Ministry would soon come to an end, but superfluous officials, like limpets, are not easily dislodged.
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