les began. Other industries began to ask why the Government
satisfied agriculture and not them, and as the Government could not
plead their control of agriculture in justification, no real reply was
possible. Also the cold fit came on as regards national expenditure. The
Bill for the corn subsidies threatened to be very high. Though Europe
was starving, it could not buy, so cheap American grain flooded our
markets; but cost of production here was still at its peak, and, for
oats especially, the amount to be paid to the farmer threatened to be
large. It was realised that it might cost 25-30 millions to implement
the guarantees for the first year, and perhaps 10-12 millions a year
later. In short, the guarantees had to go. Instead of four years' notice
of any change, a Bill to repeal the great Act was introduced five months
after it had been passed. And it was unfortunately part of the bargain
with the farmers who received for the single season perhaps six or
eight millions less than they might have been entitled to under the Act,
that the Wages Boards should be abolished--and they were. There remained
of the original structure only the depreciation of the value of all
agricultural landowners' property by about one-twentieth, owing to the
extra compensation for disturbance.

Every one felt that they had been had, and they had been. The industry
which had lately been talked up and made much of was dumped into the
dustbin. The farmers had lost their guarantees on the strength of which,
in many cases, they had bought their farms dear or planned their
rotations. The labourers, who particularly needed the protection of
Wages Boards during a time of fall in cost of living and unemployment,
had lost all legal protection. The landlords, willing enough to give
what was asked of them if any national purpose was to be served, found
that their loss brought no corresponding national gain. Agriculture
retired as far as it could from any contact with perfidious Governments,
to lick its wounds.

That is not a good basis upon which to build intensive cultivation or
any other active policy. There being now no legal or patriotic call to
intensive production, we are driven back to ask, "Does intensive
production pay?" and the broad answer is that at a time of low prices it
does not. There is no doubt that slowly and steadily education will
gradually improve farming, and that farmers will learn to find out what
parts of their business pay be