BRITAIN'S EFFORT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 178, 26 June 1940, Page 2

BRITAIN'S EFFORT

TWO MILLION TONS OF IMPORTS SAVED BY PLOUGHING LARGE AREA BROUGHT IN Tribute to the magnificent response which the agricultural industry was making to Britain's war effort was paid by the Minister of Agriculture, Sir Reginald DormauSmith recently, states the agricui- !! tural correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph. He revealed that of the 2,000,000 acres of arable land aimed at this season, no fewer than 1,897471 acres had been ploughed to date, although the Government grant in respect of cereal crops did not end until April 30. J Describing this as an almost mii*- * aculous achievement, in view of one I (of the hardest winters in living memory and other difficulties experienced by farmers. Sir Reginald said there Avas very little doubt that the total of 2,000,000 extra acres would be achieved, and it might Ave 11 be exceeded. This would represent a saving of 2,000,000 tons of imported cereals. Many people had feared a great diminution of our livestock population, but a census taken early in March had shown no marked decrease. The number of cattle was, ! indeed, slightly up; the sheep population had been maintained; and the fall in the number of pigs and poultry was almost infinitesimal. Farmers Win First Round. "The first round the farmers have Avon," Sir Reginald declared. "The need now is a good season and good crops. With the Ministry of Food we are now working out Avhat we can do for next year." Referring to the labour difficulty, Sir Reginald admitted that there Avas bound to be a continued drill from the land Av'nile the armament a programme Avas in progress.

'The farmers must realise," he said, "that he will have to use substitute labour, the Women's Land Army, schoolboys, perhaps even con scientious objectors. Plans for substitute labour are being worked out. It is hoped to have agricultural camps for schoolboys, and I hope to be able to make an announcement in a week or two on training town boys fora grieulture. I understand that the headmasters' association has been invited to co-operate and that public schools which before the war sent O.T.C. ?amps every summer into the county, may this year form pupils into land army camps instead. 65,000 Tractors. Other encouraging points in the Minister's review were: —- Fertilisers: Supply position much better than in the first year of the last war, due to purchase of reserves. Seed: No shortage of seed corn or seed potatoes. Land Drainage- The organisation was concentrating on work needed for food production. Schemes now being carried on with grants, or expected to begin before September, 1942, covered an expenditure of £7,000,000. Tractors and Implements: More than 65,000 tractors for field work, and there should be 70,000 by harvest time. The Ministry had distributed more than 6,000 implements to country committees.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooc tural to give the name de-Gaussing girdle. "Nazi Germany has several 'HalH of Heaven' in which are inscribed the names of so-called famous Germans, all of which include Adolf Hitler, but Karl Gauss, being merely a man of science, is not honoured in any of them."