asked the Minister of Agriculture how the production of barley and oats in this country in 1937 compared with that in 1914?

It is estimated that the production of barley and oats in England and Wales in 1937 was 576,000 tons and 938,000 tons respectively. The corresponding figures for 1914 were 1,184,000 tons and 1,340,000 tons respectively.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that that represents a considerable decrease as compared with the position before the War?

Yes, Sir; but I would point out that there has been an almost exactly proportionate decrease, in the first place, in the population of horses, affecting oats, and in the amount of beer consumed, affecting barley.