Agriculture Women's Land Army 45. Major Peto asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is yet in a position to state whether arrangements will be made to enable those members of the W.L.A. who would like to make a career in agriculture at the end of the war to receive the necessary training facilities to do so. The Minister of Aģriculture (Mr. R. S. Hudson) As I stated on 22nd February, the further education and training scheme, and the vocational training scheme, particulars of which have already been announced, will be available for suitable members of the Women's Land Army in common with men and women released from other forms of war service. So far as the present position is concerned, W.L.A. members can now be released to take courses at colleges and universities with a view to securing teaching and advisory posts in agriculture; and members who are considered suitable and can find vacancies at shorter courses at farm institutes may be allowed to take those courses while retaining their membership of the Land Army. 46. Major Peto asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that women are still being recruited into the W.L.A. at the approximate rate of 300 per month, steps are being taken to make clear to these women that they will not receive the same pecuniary benefits at the end of hostilities as if they entered other Services. Mr. Hudson No, Sir. There is no need for the special steps suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend. Piģs And Poultry 47. Mr. De la Bère asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the decrease in the poultry and pig populations of this country since the commencement of the war and the importance of maintaining and increasing these to provide additional food, he can now make a statement on the Government's intentions in these matters. Mr. Hudson The Government's intention in these matters were clearly stated in the announcement which I made in this House on 5th December last, namely, to encourage an expansion of production of pig-meat, poultry and eggs to the fullest extent permitted by the supplies of feeding stuffs which can be made available. Mr. De la Bère Does my right hon. Friend appreciate the world food position and that those remarks, while they may be true, will need to he carefully investigated and every endeavour made to get more additional feeding-stuffs in view of the shortage, which is very serious? Sir William Wayland May I thank the Minister of Agriculture for the extra rations which he has given to poultry keepers during the last six months? 50. Mr. De la Bère asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the shortage of meat and the possibility of a cut in the meat ration, he will encourage the pig breeders to market pigs at smaller weights for pork and pork products; and whether he will give special consideration to the difficulties of the pig producers in getting pigs to the larger weights, in view of the shortage of feeding-stuffs. Mr. Hudson The numbers of pigs marketed at the lighter weights suitable for pork have already increased during recent months without any specific encouragement; but it does not follow that this will lead to a greater output of homegrown pig meat, owing to the relatively higher requirement of concentrated feeding-stuffs of the small pig. An expansion of pork production in these circumstances might well take place at the expense of bacon production. Mr. De la Bère But does my right hon. Friend appreciate the difficulty of getting the small pig to the correct weight in view of the feeding shortage and the necessity of putting down more land for feeding-stuffs? Mr. Snadden Would the right hon. Gentleman not agree that owing to the world shortage of meat which we are facing, the time has perhaps come when the Government should review their price scales which give such overwhelming emphasis to milk, in order to expand the whole production of meat in this country? Mr. Hudson Yes, Sir, but not only is there a world shortage of meat; there is also a world shortage of available feeding-stuffs. Fat Cattle (Marketinģ) 49. Mr. De la Bģre asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, with a view to increasing food supplies, he will give encouragement to home producers to market fat cattle at smaller weights; and whether he will endeavour to avoid fluctuation in the price of fat cattle throughout the year. Mr. Hudson Encouragement has been given for some time, through the operation of the existing price scales, to the marketing of fat cattle at weights most suitable for the highest production of home produced meat consistent with good quality. The answer to the second part is No, Sir. Mr. De la Bģre But does my right hon. Friend appreciate that the fluctuations are very bad and farmers really do not know where they stand? Mr. Hudson On the contrary, they are very good, and they are made in agreement with the National Farmers Union. Opencast Mininģ (Land Restoration) 51. Mr. Tinker asked the Minister of Agriculture how many acres of land have been taken for opencast mining; how many have been restored; and how many complaints he has had from farmers since restoration about the land not retaining its level. Mr. Hudson The total area of land in England and Wales taken for opencast mining is 19,370 acres and the total area so far completely restored is 1,85o acres. A number of complaints have been received of restored land not retaining its level, and where these prove to be justified and where there is sufficient top soil available, the County War Agricultural Executive Committees do what they can to regrade the site. Mr. Tinker Could I ask the right hon. Gentleman to keep a watch on this matter, because I have been informed that many parts have sunk after being filled up, with the result that it is going derelict? Surely it is the duty of someone to watch it? Mr. Hudson Yes, Sir, I am well aware of the situation. It is giving me considerable cause for anxiety because, in the course of my travels round the country, I have been to see a number of places where complaints were made of unsatisfactory restoration of the site. Of course, one of the best ways of avoiding that would be if we could get more coal from proper pits and not have to rely on opencast mining. Mr. J. J. Lawson May I ask if the right hon. Gentleman is aware that the Minister of Fuel and Power has consistently told us from that Box that land in every case has been restored, and it is not only as good after the restoration but in many cases even better? That does not fit in with his statement this morning. Mr. Hudson I am not aware that my right hon. and gallant Friend has made such a categorical statement as that. There is no doubt that in a number of cases the restoration has been very satisfactory and in some cases the land has been improved, owing to improved drainage; on the other hand, the experience of the last six months has shown that, in a number of cases, sites which we thought had been properly and satisfactorily restored have, in the light of experience, proved not to have been so satisfactorily restored as we thought at first. Mr. Manninģham-Buller Is it not the case that many hundreds of acres which have been laid waste by iron ore mining have not been restored, and are not included in the figures which my right hon. Friend has just given? Mr. Hudson That is true. As my hon. Friend knows, that matter is receiving my attention at the present moment with a view to discovering practical methods of restoring such land. Bretton Woods Conference Proposals (Informal Discussions) 55. Mr. Craven-Ellis asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is now prepared to give the House detailed information of the scope and object of the discussions between Lord Keynes, a number of Members of this House and himself. Sir J. Anderson These were informal talks between certain hon. Members and myself arranged, so far as I am concerned, partly in order to meet requests that had been made to me and partly in order that I might have the advantage of hearing any views that those hon. Members might care to express. I do not think it would be in accordance either with the practice or with the general wish of the House that a Minister should be called upon to give an account of such proceedings on the Floor of the House. Nor do I think that the House would wish to interfere with the long-established practice of holding informal talks of this nature. Sir Ralph Glyn Would it not entirely destroy contact between colleagues in the House if any such statement was made? Sir J. Anderson That is how it seemed to me. Mr. Buchanan Is the Minister aware that there is a feeling that in the contacts he had he gave a certain preference to a group of Members in their approach to him? [HON. MEMBERS: "No."] Yes, that is so, and it is no use saying, "No." Sir J. Anderson I did my best to afford facilities to all Members whom I thought might like to take advantage of my offer to see them. I had certain consultations as to whom should be invited. Some Members took the initiative in writing to me, and if my hon. Friend or anyone else who has not been included in this series of conferences likes to come, I shall be delighted. Mr. Buchanan Is the Minister aware that there is a feeling, which I share—and I also say this to the Leader of the House, because it applies on other issues as well—that there are certain groups of privileged Members, who are picked for these discussions? I have been in the House for a long time and never once have I been invited, and I do not think that I am less intelligent than other Members. I have never been approached in any way in these matters, on which there is a feeling that a privilege is given to certain Members. Sir Alfred Beit Would it not be quite useless to ask Members to interviews of this kind, unless they had some understanding of the subject under discussion? Mr. Buchanan How do they know? What understanding have these other hon. Members? Mr. Craven-Ellis Is my right hon. Friend aware that there is the feeling that these meetings have been called for the purpose of endeavouring to get Members to support the Bretton Woods proposals, so that he can inform the Prime Minister that the House will be in favour of any Motion which the Government put forward on this matter? Clothing Purchase (Inquiry) 59. Sir W. Davison asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a contract for the supply of night-shirts and pyjamas entered into with Messrs. Hodgkinson, Limited, and Messrs. J. B. Limited, and that his Department are refusing to pay for a large quantity of such goods for which formal acknowledgments have been given; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the matter. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Captain Waterhouse) The Board of Trade do not purchase clothing, and I have no knowledge of the matters to which my hon. Friend refers. Sir W. Davison Do I understand that these contracts have not been before the Board of Trade? One of my constituents has been complaining to me that he cannot get payment until deliveries have been approved. Captain Waterhouse The Board of Trade do not purchase any clothing and, therefore, such contracts could not have been before the Board. Fishing Vessels, Fife (Release) 60. Mr. Henderson Stewart asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that a number of fishermen from the Fife coast are being paid off from Admiralty service, and have no boats with which to earn a living; and, if in order to prevent unemployment, he will arrange for the release of a few fishing vessels for the use of such men. The Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Westwood) My right hon. Friend understands that a few former fishing craft previously employed in the Forth have been withdrawn for duties elsewhere, and that since the engagements upon which crews were serving did not bind them to these new duties, they were paid off. He is in communication with my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty in regard to the earliest possible return of fishing vessels to the area. Mr. Stewart While being appreciative of that reply, may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he will bear in mind that the admitted excessive withdrawal of fishing vessels from the Fife coast has resulted in that part of the coast, more than any other, being depleted of the necessary vessels? Mr. Westwood Certainly. British Army (Overseas Service) 63. Sir Patrick Hannon asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider the introduction of an age limit for men serving in the Army being sent to the Far East; and if men of 40 years of age and upwards will receive preferential posting to the European theatres of war and home service. The Financial Secretary to the War Office (Mr. Arthur Henderson) I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friends the Members for Whitechapel (Mr. Walter Edwards) and Spen Valley (Major Woolley) on 27th February and 13th March. The shortage of man-power does not, I regret, enable us to go further than this towards the object my hon. Friend has in mind. Sir P. Hannon Has not my hon. and learned Friend had before him very harsh and difficult cases of this kind? Will he review the situation sympathetically? Mr. Henderson My hon. Friend will know that every case of hardship that is alleged is dealt with on that basis, but the fact that a soldier is 40 years of age is not regarded, in itself, as being a hardship. Mr. Gallacher Is not my hon. and learned Friend aware of the widespread feeling on this matter? Mr. James Griffiths Will my hon. and learned Friend see that men of 40 years of age and over are given a special medical examination before they are drafted for service in the Far East? Mr. Henderson I hope every medical examination is a thorough one, and I am not prepared to say that there should be a special examination. Mr. J. Griffiths Does my hon. and learned Friend realise that some of these men of 40 years and over have been engaged in heavy manual labour for many years, and will he consider the desirability of consulting his medical advisers as to whether these men should have a special medical examination before they go to the Far East? Mr. Henderson Certainly, but in view of the fact that the age of the soldier who is being examined is within the knowledge of the examining doctor, the doctor would have regard to the physical attributes of the soldier in relation to his age. Mr. Buchanan Is my hon. and learned Friend aware that there is a great deal of feeling on this subject, and that men of over 40 years of age are sometimes brought home from the Middle East and then sent to the Continent, while men who are 15 years younger are not sent? Is he aware that there is a feeling among the men that there is some sort of unfaifness in this treatment, and will he explore the general position to see whether anything can be done about it? Mr. Henderson I will look into the suggestion of my hon. Friend. My hon. Friend will remember, of course, that there may be two men, one 40 years of age and the other a younger one who has not served abroad; but if the younger soldier is not a tradesman and the older one is a tradesman in a trade that is required in Europe, the older one must go in preference to the younger one.