Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎137r] (273/442)

1907
Oral Answers.
Oral Answers.
1908
10 July 1912
Agricultural Analysts (Appointments).
19. Mr. SHEEHAN asked the President
of the Board of Agriculture whether, under
Clause 2 of the Fertilisers and Feeding
Stuffs Act, 1906, appointments of agricul
tural analysts by county councils are sub
ject to the approval of the Board of Agri
culture ; whether, under Section 4 of the
same Act, his Department has made any
Regulations as to the qualifications to be
possessed by agricultural analysts and as
to the manner in which analyses are to be
made; has his attention been called to
the fact that in April last Mr. F. J. Lloyd,
agricultural analyst appointed under this
Act to the Kent County Council, gave an
incorrect analysis of a sample of green
stuff manure, and that Mr. Lloyd, in a
letter to the clerk of the county council,
declared that it was impossible to get
accurate results by the official method of
analysis prescribed by the Department of
Agriculture owing, as he alleged, to the
presence of nitrate of lime in the manure;
whether he is aware that Dr. Bernard
Dyer obtained, in the case of the same
jnanure, a correct result, using also the
official method of analysis ; and whether,
having regard to the fact that this is the
second case of error in analysis made
within twelve months by Mr. Lloyd, and
that it is of importance to the retailers of
fertilisers and feeding stuffs in Kent that
they should not be subjected to prosecu
tion on incorrect analyses, he will send
the chief analyst of the Board of Agricul
ture to hold an inquiry into the entire
matter on the spot?
Mr. R UNCI MAN: The answer to the
first part of the question is in the affirma
tive. No Regulations as to the qualifica
tions to be possessed by agricultural
analysts have been made by the Board.
Regulations have been made and issued as
to the manner in which analyses are to be
made. My attention has been called to
the case to which the hon. Member refers,
but I do not think that any useful purpose
would be served by the institution of the
inquiry suggested.
Mr. C. BATHURST : Does the right hon.
Gentleman recognise that Professor Lloyd
is one| of the leading agricultural analysts
in the country ?
Mr. RUNCIMAN: I understand that is
his reputation.
Frit Fly (Damage to Cereals).
22. Mr. STANIER asked, having regard
'to the importance of the matter for inquiry
by the horticultural section of the Board,
whether any inquiries are being made by
any of the Board’s experts on the frit fly
and the damage it is doing to the cereal
crops in this country ?
Mr. RUNCIMAN : The Board made an
extensive inquiry in 1909 into the attack
which occurred in that year, a short re
port on which w r as published in Part II. of
the Annual Report of the Intelligence
Division of the Board for the year 1909-10,
and the Board’s entomological adviser has
since been carrying on the investigations.
A report on his work appears in the
Transactions of the Highland and Agricul
tural Society for 1912.
PORT OF LONDON (STRIKE).
Casual Employment.
53. Mr. CROOKS asked the Prime
Minister, in view' of the fact that the Port
of London Authority have failed to carry
out their obligations under the Port of
London Authority Act to administer, pre
serve, and improve the Port and to take
such steps as they think best calculated to
diminish the evils of casual employment,
have issued a circular informing their
employes now out on strike that they can
only return on condition that they ask for'
employment as extra casual hands, and
that they have also ignored the Resolution
of the House of 1st July last, he will state
what steps the Government propose to
take to compel the Authority to fulfil their
statutory obligations ?
The PRIME MINISTER: A letter from
the Port of London Authority was received
late yesterday, giving their observations
on this question. I am sending a copy of
it to my hon. Friend. It will be circulated
■ with the Votes, and is receiving careful
consideration.
Sir GILBERT PARKER : May I ask the
right hon. Gentleman if he will not take
into consideration the advisability of
making a Government measure of the Bill
brought in by the hon. Member for Wool-
w r ich (Mr. Crooks), the principle of which
I believe he approves, inasmuch as it is
the principle of the Canada Act for the
settlement of trade disputes ?
The PRIME MINISTER: I must have
notice of that question.
Mr. CHIOZZA MONEY: Will the Prime
Minister represent to the Port Authority
that the trade returns for June show that
£3,000,000 of entrepot trade was lost in
June, and that, in view of this serious loss,