The debate on the Address in the House of Commons
ended on Friday week, after an amendment criticising the Govern- ment's land policy had been rejected by a majority of 56. On Monday the effective business of the Session opened with a discussion in Committee devoted chiefly to the work of the Board of Agriculture. Mr. Runcimau made a statement dealing with a number of points raised in the debate. About £3,000 a year is to be given to assist the Agricultural Organization Society in its work of teaching co-operation to the rural population. Some thousands are to be devoted to research in connexion with foot-and-mouth disease, as to which very little is known at present. But in the mean- while he emphatically refused to withdraw the restrictions upon importations of cattle and fodder from infected countries. Mr. Runeiman further replied to the accusation that two of the appointments of the six new Small Holdings Commis- sioners were political jobs. They had done a large amount of valuable work, and it was absurd to represent that there was not enough for them to do.
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