VITAL TO BRITAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 81, 5 April 1941, Page 9

VITAL TO BRITAIN.

FRUITS OF THE SOIL, "Life Of The Nation Depends On Agriculture." British Official Wireless. RUGBV, .April 4. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. R. 8. Hudson, said in the House of Commons that since l<ll4 the. amount of arable land under eropr had actually decreased by 4,500,000 acres. For every 1000 acres or cultivated land in the last war there were HHo human beings to be fed, and the figure was now 1524. Moreover, there had been a general decline in the fertility of British soil, taking the country as a. whole. Between the outbreak of the last. war and this war, the production of fodder and root crops for live stock had fallen by no less than one-third- In the lat-t war 2.300.000 acres bad been ploughed up. By n<>xt spring- it was expected 3.750.000 acres would be ploughed. As regards labour, Mr. Hudson said, the Secretary for War last week lent him 0000 members of the Pioneer Corps. There were a certain number of con.-cientious objectors and aliens on the job, and they still had hopes tfaey might get some German prisoner*, but wbea they got these there wk still need for further labour. In the last seven month* agricultural committees had done nearly as much in reclaiming land as the Italian fJovernmcnt had done in 13 year* ia reclaiming the Pontine marshes. With regard to future policy, Mr. Hudson said there was bound to be a. meat shortage. Imported meat would continue for several months and Brili-h agriculture would have to step into the breach and make good the shortage i« maintain the meat ration of the people. We would have to keep up our dairy herd?, getting rid of poor yieldei*. There would have to be a reduction of meat cattle. The numbers of sheep ■would have to be kept up. and there would have to l»e a good deal more ploughing of grassland, an intensified drainage campaign and better cultivation. Mr. Lloyd <ieorge. sjtcaking in tbe debate, said that in this grave hour tht> life of the nation depended on agriculture. We were rejoicing ia a. series of the most brilliant victories on land and sea and in the air that had ever illuminated the military annals of this country. They had dazzled our eyes, but we must take care they did not blind them. Germany was beaten, in spile of her great rictoriw, in the last war because she had no food. She neglected Iht agriculi ure partly before and alnio.-t entirely during the war. She flung her m<ll into the battlefield a= if the only field that mattere.l was that of ball If. and not the. fields behind the battlefront. Whatever happened in Ili<« Atlantic should lie redeemed bv the w«il of the British l-l<-s.