The Agrimotor Programme.
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The Ford Position and Allied Matters. Inaccurate and Damaging Statements by Sir Richard Winfrey (Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture).
The attitude of refusal, which has been adopted at the Food Production Department, 72, Vidtoria Street, S.W., in respect of orders for one of the largest and most successful American agrimotors, appears to us to call for some explanation. We refer to the Whiting-Bull. This Bull tractor is made and slit in America in very large numbers : the output during the past few years has, we are assured, never fallen below 6000 per annum, which is the largest output in the States of this class of tractor. The Bull tractor, in fact, is literally years ahead of certain other tractors which are strongly in favour at No, 72.
Boycott of the Bull by the Food Production Department, Correspondence which we have been shown eoncerning the failure of the Government to order Bull tractors indicates a state of affairs which is little short of a muddle. Reports appear to have got badly mixed, and it is possible that the Bull tractor is being condemned through this muddling, and not through any active hostility to it.The matter is oextainly one which ought to be put right. The followinac questions and answers, in the House of Commons, on the 24th July, have to be noted:—
Sir Henry Dalziel Makes Irquiries.
Sir H. Dalziel asked whether, in view of the demand by farmers for tractors for the harvest and autumn ploughing and the inability of the Government tractor departments to meet this demand owing to the insufficient number of tractors available of the pattern adopted by the departments, he will give instructions that the farmers are to be permitted to purchase any machines they can get ; and whether instructions will be given to the Ministry of Munitions to take advantage of the 500 tractors, complete with ploughs, which have been offered for immediate delivery by the Whiting-Bull representatives in England, and n:hich can be ready for use in time for the harvest?
Grave Error in Figures.
Sir R. Winfrey : In reply to the first part of the question, the. Board have consistently • encouraged -farmers to purchase any efficient and available tractors for their own use, and will continue to do Co. As regards the Whiting-Bull tractors, the Board is informed by the Ministry of Munitions that only some 12 of these tractors have actually been delivered in this country, and as at present advised they are not prepared to purchase themselves the large numbers of these tractors which the hon. member declares are available.
The Ford Prospects.
Sir II. alziel asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Bce d of Agriculture whether the building of the M.0.141 (Ford) tractor has been abandoned ; how many of these tractors, have been guaranteed for the harvest wild autumn ploughing ; whether there will be sufficient M.O.M. tractors to do the farmers' ploughing and also the Government's work ; and, if not whet er instructions will be issued to farmers to purchas any machines they can get'?
Sir. R. Winfrey: No, sir, the building of the Ford tractor has not been abandoned, but, owing to the demands made upon the Ministry of Munitions for other war material, that Department has found it impossible to carry out their arrangements with the Board for the manufacture in this country of 6000 tractors of this type. An order has consequently been placed in America for the manufacture of these tractors, delivery of which on a large scale should begin in October next. In the meantime, the Board has purchased a large number of .other American tractors of certain types which have given satisfactory results, and every effort is being made to hasten their delivery, In addition, practically the whole output of British-built tractors has been taken up by the Board.
Position of Mr. P. D. L. Perri.
,Sir IT. Dalziel: Is it the case that it is the representative of the Ford company who has to decide between all British interests in this country, and is the hon. gentleman aware that the farmers generally are very dissatisfied that the whole question should be in the hands of an American, representative ? .
Sir. Ft. .Winfrey I am afraid I meat dispute what the hon. gentleman says about the farmers being dissatisfied. I do not think that they are dissatisfied.
Mr. Rowlands : Is it the fact that he was adviser to the Board of Agriculture at the time the question was. brought before the Board some months ago?
Another Irish Works.
Mr. Arthur Samuels: Is the right hon. gentleman aware that the Whiting-Bull Co. have established works at Mespil Road, Dublin, capableAof turning out immediately 2000 tractors and 10,000 next year that this company has a large number of tractors ready for immediate delivery ; and will the Government give equal faeilities to the Whiting-Bull Co. for importation and disposal of their tractors as are given to the Ford Co.?
Sir R. Winfrey : Our Food Department do not report well on these tractors. They prefer the other type. Sir H. Dalziel : Is my hon. friend aware that for over nine months 500 of these tractors have been lying at New York while there are purchasers here for them, and the Government stepped in and prevented them coming over, and can he say if their action is dominated by consideration for the Ford interest I Mr. Rowlands : Ts it not a fact that I called the attention of the Board of Agriculture to this matter months ago because farmers were wanting these tractors ?
Sir R. Winfrey : The information that I get from • the representatives of the Food Production Department is that these tractors are not satisfactory. We have not had good reports about them.
Sir H. Dalmel : Is the hon. gentleman aware that reports have been published by his own Department
saying that they are• completely satisfactory I , Mr. Rowlands : Is the hon. gentleman aware that a trial of these tractors took place as recently as • 7th July, at Bickley, in Kent, and that the report was satisfactory? '
• 'Sir R. Winfrey : Perhaps the hon. member will allow me to read the reports that I have received from the representative in my own county of Northamptonshire ? "The twb chief faults are lack of power and its unfortunate design-; both these tend to make it impossible to work steadily or satisfactorily on anything but the most level and moderately' light ground." Another representative in the county of Devon reports :—" The Bull tractors seem to be unworkable, and what little work they do is done very unsatisfactorily.—The Bull tractor recently working in the palish of Ottery St. Mary has given a lot of trouble, and the farmers will not have it on their land."
Sir H. Dalziel : If the farmers are willing to pay for them, what right have the Government to step in and prevent them ?
Sir It; Winfrey : We do not step in and prevent them. There are only 12 in this country.
Sir H. Dalziel: The hon, gentleman is misinformed.
A Withdrawal Due.
The above replies by Sir Richard Winfrey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, are astounding. The Whiting-Bull, in our considered opinion, is one of the best U.S.A. agrimotors. It is hard to understand why any competent or disinterested officials of the Food • Production Department should supply incorrect data to one of their chiefs, vet we know of no other source but that Department for the mis-statements. We can only hope that common justice, in the shape of complete withdrawal, still be done at once—possibly between the dates of our going to press and publication.
Amazing Discrepancies.
What are the facts? As to the number of WhitingBull tractors in the country, the true figure was 118 at the time of Sir R. Winfrey's statement that there were only 12.. As to their being unworkable, we have obtained a copy of the written opinion (given on Friday last) of Lord Dunraven's agent.
From Lord Dunraven's Agent.
"I have worked the 1917-1918 model* Whiting' Bull regularly since purchase, threshing, ploughing, hay-cutting, reaping, binding and for farm haulage. I am quite satisfied with results. It is economical in fuel consumption, easy to handle, and without complications; • no expert knowledge is required to handle it, and I ;prefer it to others
have seen. I can strongly recommend it for general estate work." Comparative Ploughing Tests on Mr. S. F. Edge's i Farm n Sussex.
It was our pleasure, on Saturday last, to witness comparative tests near Ditchling, on Mr. S. F. Edge's farm, between a Ford, a Titan and a Whiting-Bull, The Ford was one of the six in this country. The test was of one hour's duration, and very strictly observed.
22 h.p. FORD.
Area ploughed in 1 hr ... 0.35 acre.
Consumption of paraffin ... 14.0 pints.
Depth of plougging 5i ins.
Fuel per acre .. 5.0 galls.
20 h.p. TITAN.
Area ploughed in 1 hr. ... 0.54 acre.
Consumption of paraffin 16.0 pints Depth of ploughing ... 6-?:, Fuel per acre . . ... 3.7 galls.
24 h.p. WHITING-BULL.
Area ploughed in 1 hr. ... 0.70 acre.
Consumption of paraffin ... ... 19.0 pints. • Depth of ploughing • • 7 ins.
Fuel per acre 3.4 galls.
The Ford hauled a Ransome two-furrow plough with 11-in. blades ; the Titan hauled a Ransome three-furrow plough with 12-in. blades ; the Whiting-Bull hauled a Case two-furrow automatic self-lifting plough with 14-in. blades. At the conclusion of the tests the Ford was attached to the plough which the Whiting-Bull had used ; it failed to draw it through the •continuation of the partly-completed furrows which were being cut by the Whiting-Bull 'when the main test came to an end. The land—a stiff weald clay—had not been turned over for about 30 years.
Muddle, or Deliberate Opposition, at 72, Victoria Street.
Why, we again ask, is the Whiting-Bull ignored, and now vilified on inaccurate information, by somebody at 72, Victoria Street? We regard it as little short— if short at all—of a public scandal, that the successful and proved Whiting-Bull should not be requisitioned in large numbers by Sir Arthur Lee.
This is a national question, and not one of trading interests. The Bull factory at Minneapolis has for several years turned out more than 5000_ tractors a year ; it has for months held 500 ready for sale to the English Government. The Ford factory (for tractors) is in the making. Why wait for it 1 Why. should English farmers have been deprived of Whiting-Bulls, which are known and bown to be all right, while Ford gets ready ? Who is the real obstructionist?
We consider, on the facts within our knowledge, that the thinly-veiled hostility of somebody at 72, Victoria Street; must be ended. Mr. Prothero Sir Richard Winfrey, and Sir Arthur Lee have dearly been put in a false position, but they cannot make good the many lost months and lost acres which available Whiting-Bulls might have tilled. Some amends art necessary, even though the nation's shortage of wheat has been accentuated by the errors under, notice.
•
No Opposition at A.M.B. of M. of M.
A correspondent, writing in our issue of the 12th July,. concluded his letter by stating that "some of the best machines are apparently not allowed to come" into the,country." This, we know, is not due to any impediment by the Agricultural Machinery Branch of the Ministry of Munitions of War, of which Mr. S. F. Edge is the Controller, but clearly due to, the failure of the corresponding Food Production Branch,
* This is the " unworkable " machine, on offer to the Government, that
ha* been "turned down" be Sir Arthur Lee. Col. Allen and Mr. Noel under Colonel Allen and Mr. Noel Mobbs, requizi