Mr. Morrison and the Farms In the debate on agriculture
in the House of COMM 3ns on Monday Mr. Morrison's comprehensive review revealed much Welcome progress, though the Liberals, led by Mr. Lloyd George, claimed that the Government's plans, particu- larly in the matter of drainage, were still far too niggardly. The general price index for farm produce is now about 30 per cent. higher than it was in 1934, and every commodity except hay and pigs is a more profitable proposition for the farmer than it was a year ago. The consumption of milk and butter shows a remarkable rise, though milk is generally admitted to be still far too dear. Mr. Morrison declared his first objective to be the fertility of the land itself, and his new programme for improving its quality, such as the reduction in the price of.lime, the increase in drainage grants, and the extension of grass lands, has been generally welcomed, but there was considerable force in Sir Edward Grigg's suggestion that it is more useful to subsidise the land than its par- ticular products ; that implies some form of agricultural credits, the importance of which Sir Francis Acland con- vincingly emphasised. But there must be some limit to that. If Mr. Morrison can make farming pay without making the consumer pay for it his political future should be bright.
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