THE FORD TRACTORS.
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Effect of Lord N orthcliffe's Article.
We quote as follows from Monday's " Daily Mail"
The Food Production Department of the Board of Agriculture issues the following statement: —
In agricultural circles last week there was much talk about Lord Northcliffe's interesting article in the "Daily Mail" of 22nd October on " Ford's Mechanical Miracle." This article is of great interest to everybody. concerned in the immediate future of British agriculture, and especially to all progressive farmers. _
• If any of the latter have been affected -by the generally foolish and sometimes self-interested criticisms passed upon the tractor policy of the Food Production Department, Lord Northcliffe's article may help to reassure -them. The campaign of innuendo has not produced any apparent' xesults among the better-informed class of agriculturist., but it is nevertheless an excellent thing that an impartial authority likd Lord Northcliffe should bear testimony to the excellence of the tractor, which in a peculiar sense is the outcome of the Department's activities. and is to be placed in large numbers at the disposal of our, farmers within the next -few months.
It would be unfortunate if even a minority of
farmers were misled by interested parties into supposing that the implement to be provided by the Department is of little .value, and arty such danger is fnally removed by the evidence of Lord Northcliffe's article.
After explaining that, following satisfactory tests by Royal Agricultural Society experts, arrangements were. made last May for the manufacture in England of 6000 Ford tractors, the report states:—
The exigencies of war, however, necessitated the' transfer of this work to the United States. This inevitable delay in delivery hasbeen seized upon by certain critiei-s of the Department and its policy.' Lord Northeliffe'.s article forms a wholesome corrective to the malevolent nonsense that has been circulated by one or two of the motor trade journals. Lord Northcliffe has been out to see Mr. H. Ford, whose firm is making 6000 tractors for the British Government. Mr. Ford is supplying these tractors to the Government at cost price, making not a penny. of profit on them ; and his only, stipulation is that they shall not be sold or placed on the market, but used .solely under Government control as a, weapon to help the British farmer to co-operate with the Navy: and Army in beating Germany