The Local Government Board wrote accepting the resignation of Mr F. S Beauford as the representative of Farnborough.

Basic Slag Altering the Face of the Country

Mr Howard Chatfield Clarke presided on Monday night at the Surveyors’ Institution over an ordinary general meeting called to discuss the question of the wheat supply. Mr Edwin Savill (member of the Council) read a paper on the subject. He said there was a general opinion that an increase in the area under wheat was desirable. The last few years showed an improvement in the financial conditions of agriculture, but this had not had the effect of increasing the wheat area, the reason being that the bad times had not yet been forgotten. Farmers did not expect a high price for their produce, but they would leave a fair margin to repay the capital and energy expended. The average farmer felt that the less he put into the land, the less he stood to lose, and therefore, instead of putting all his money and energy into a supreme effort to get all he could out of the land, he put in only just enough to ensure a safe but moderate return. The average price of wheat grown in England and Wales last year was 31s. 8d. per quarter. After giving detailed figures he calculated that the net profit on 100 acres would average with wheat at that price 28 s. per acre, per annum. If wheat were 38s. per quarter the profit would be increased to 37s. 6d. per acre, per annum. If farmers could be certain of receiving 38s. per quarter for their wheat they would feel justified in ploughing up a considerable area of the land at present producing less than the return of which it is capable. Much anxiety was naturally felt on the outbreak of war as to the stability of our food supply. The price of wheat rose in a few days from 34s. per quarter to 45s. per quarter. It speedily dropped again to 36s. from which price it had gradually risen to 40s. at the end of October. The Government had been asked to guarantee to farmers a minimum price of 35s. a quarter. It replied that it did not consider that necessary, but at the same time strongly advised farmers to grow wheat, as it was likely to prove a profitable crop. Why should not the Government do the same as they were about to do for the dyeing industry? He would venture to prophecy that in a few months our supplies would be short. He thought that the Government should fix the price at which wheat could be grown at a fair profit. Possibly 38s. per quarter would meet the case. Every farmer should be paid the difference between the average price for the year and the settled price of 38s. per quarter. Every farmer could then know that he could grow wheat without fear of loss, and that the more wheat they grew the more certain profit they would make. The cost of such a scheme to the Government would depend on the amount of guarantee, but it was doubtful whether it need be considerable. A steady market was almost of greater importance than a high one.

Mr Turnbull Brown said that whatever was done in this country the situation could only be saved for a few weeks. The whole question of wheat supply in time of war really came to this, that they had to trust the Navy. The scheme in the paper was a scheme of bounties. If we were to have protection in any form we must either have import duties or bounties. But he did not think we were going to get either yet.

Mr H. Trustham Eve said the cash wages in agriculture increased in 1913 over 1912 by £10,000 a week, and in 1912 over 1911 by £5,000 per week. Since 1911 agricultural wages had increased by three quarters of a million per annum. Basic slag was transforming the whole face of the country and was one of the reasons for not breaking up pasture land. The Government ought to buy a few weeks supply of wheat to keep in hand. The only way to make more profit was to cheapen the cost of production.

Mr A. Steele said that if the same effort had been put into the pastures of the South of England as into those of Leicestershire and the West Country they would be capable of producing double the net profit they now produced.

The Hon. F. G. Strutt said one of the advantages of ploughing up grass land would be an increase in the labour employed on the land. Any farm that was nearly all grass hardly paid well at all, while arable farms had paid him extraordinarily well. The only way for our land to be converted into arable land was to make the main crop, wheat, a profitable thing to grow.

On Tuesday November 10th, a small field met the pack at Wroxton New Inn. Amongst them were the Misses Fitzgerald, North, Allfrey, Messrs Aplin, Dickinson and Pratt, Mr and Mrs Percy Page, Mr, Mrs and Miss Court &c. A hare was prettily found on Mr Court’s farm near the meet, and with a good scent the pack raced away with glorious music over the Shutford Road and down the hill swinging left-handed along the brookside pointing for Shutford. Here was a short check, but Giles soon recovered the line and they went smartly over the brook and up the hill pointing for the Shutford-Epwell Road. Then they ran two large circles towards the brook. During the last circle a fox crossed their line and hearing hounds near at hand the pack was stopped, and the Warwickshire swept by close to Alkerton village with another fox they had brought from Oxhill and had beaten off the horses and killed their fox very handsomely on Mr Andrew Fox’s farm a few fields on. The bassets then hunted their hare over the hill and over the Shutford Road almost to where they had found her. Here they checked again, and unfortunately getting onto the line of a fresh hare Lord North stopped them at Balscote. A capital hunt of just over three hours.

On Saturday November 14th the meet was at Shotteswell. The field that met them comprised the Misses Fitzgerald, Messrs Aplin, Dickinson, C. Gibbs, White, Spencer and Turvey. Lord North was unfortunately unable to be out, and so missed what was probably the best day’s sport his pack has yet shown. A hare was found at once on Mr Brain’s (late Mrs Corbitt’s) farm, and went merrily down the hill pointing for Angel’s Piece but turned left-handed down the vale, and passing Farnborough and under Bitham crossed the road and over Mr Bawcutt’s farm, leading the pack over Camp Lane and Mr Coggin’s Rectory Farm, crossed the Warwick-Banbury Road, and leaving Page’s Gorse on the left again sank the hill and repeated the circle, but passing nearer to Farnborough and Bitham, and Giles stopped the hounds in the dusk at Warmington. All the hounds were up at the finish and carried their sterns gracefully over their backs as they journeyed home after a three-and-a-half hours’ hunt. The scent was good and also the pace throughout.

The Earl of Durham, speaking at Sunderland on recruiting, regretted the time wasted on football, and said he much preferred that Sunderland players should be wearing khaki rather than football colours. He was almost hard-hearted enough to wish that the Germans would drop shells onto footballers on some Saturday afternoon. He thought that that would be the best method of waking up the young men of Sunderland. It was no idle threat to say we were in danger.

William Still (born 1907), previously of Church Street School, Clapham, enrolled at Avon Dassett School today.

Avon Dassett School Log Book

WANTED – WORKING HOUSE-KEEPER for farmhouse; must be strong, thoroughly reliable and good, plain cook – Apply, letter only, to C. E. Hanbury, Mollington, Banbury.