SERIOUS PLIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1930, Page 6

SERIOUS PLIGHT

OF BRITISH AGRICULTURE

L United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.]

LONDON. Feb. 19.

In the House of Lords, Lord Liverpool asked the Governmowt to establish a Committee, representing' all parties, to deal with the serious plight of agriculture. Lord Cranworth said that the position of British agriculture was so desperate that the unemployment .figures were rising in certain agricultural districts for the first time in living memory.

The E'arl of Airlic said that the country bad not realised the desperate straits to which agriculture had been reduced. Last week, he said, one hundred ploughmen had left Angus to enlist in the army, owing to the lack of work. Within a few years, the farmers would be producing cattle and milk.

Lord de La AVer pointed out that the Kt. Hon. N. Buxton was now presiding at a conference of landowners, farmers and workers, which was empowered to discuss everything but tariffs. Tt was impossible to set up another conference till the present one had reported.

IMPORTED FOOD PRICES

LONDON, Feb. 19

In the House of Commons, Mr J. S. Allen (Conservative) inquired if the Ministry intended to legislate for the purpose of stabilising prices by the collective purchase of imported grain and meat.

Rt. Hon. Air Ramsay MacDonald said that this proposal was being carefully examined by the Department concerned, but be could not make any statement at present. Mr Allen asked could the Prime Minister announce a policy of developing the economic resources of the British Commonwealth. Mr MacDonald replied that it was difficult to deal briefly with sue 1

matter, but the questioner could he assured that some aspects of it would be considered.