Agricultural Marketing Boards.

Part of Orders of the Day — Supply. – in the House of Commons at on 9 April 1934.

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Photo of Sir Francis Acland Sir Francis Acland , Cornwall Northern

The conclusion to which one comes after studying this question is that the National Farmers' Union was rather short-sighted in regard to their permanent interests in not accepting that part of the recommendations of the Reorganisation Committee which recommended a sort of superstructure on top of the scheme as at present set up, a superior committee or body on which both farmers and distributors should be represented and which would be the main body concerned with fixing prices. I think the farmers naturally were afraid of being associated too closely with United Dairies and the very able people at the head of that extraordinarily able organisation. But I think events have shown that it does not work to bring in three arbitrators from outside. Of course, they have done their work fairly and have acted according to what they thought was right, but it has not worked fairly—certainly not to the producers. It would be better to have a superior body on which all interests would be represented as the committee originally recommended. I hope that that change will be made, and that the scheme will be put into operation in the form originally proposed. I conclude by reiterating the practical proposal that the consumers should be brought in, in some specific and organic way, and I again thank the hon. and learned Member for East Grinstead for having brought up this subject in his Amendment.