THE FORD TRACTORS AND THE F.P.D.
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REFRAINING from commenting upon a statement reproduced in an abbreviated form in the " Daily Mail," we merely gave in our last issue the statement of the Food Production Department as it appeared in Monday's issue of that journal, and waited upon the receipt of the "Weekly Service" notes issued by the Department. This reached us on Tuesday, 27th October, being dated 26th October. It must have reached the "Daily Mail" by Sunday, 25th October. May we ask why the "Daily Mail" is thus specially favoured?
The "Weekly Service" notes of the Food Production Department, after dealing with the selection of the Ford tractor, the placing of the order and the transfer of the work to the States with a consequent serious delay in the delivery of the goods, goes on to say "This inevitable delay has been seized upon by certain adverse critics of the Department and its policy. Lord Northcliffe's article forms a wholesome corrective to the malevolent nonsense that has been circulated by one or two of the motor trade journals." One must always avoid the fault of fitting on a cap, but in this case we stand up for the whole of 016 the motor Press as well as ourselves. What malevolent nonsense does Sir Arthur Lee and his Department refer to ? " Malevolent " is an idiotic word to use in the circumstances. "Nonsense" we decline to confess to when the sole object of any comments in this journal has been to prevent as far as possible the perpetuation of mistakes that were imperilling the chances of an increased food production in 1918, and the Director of the Department will imagine a vain thing if he supposes that the public would not be interested—deeply interested—to lmow some of the undisclosed facts concerning food production in the possession of the Press. As we say in our leader in to-day's issue on the subject of the Government and Mr. Edge, we have waited for an official statement on the super. session of Mr. Edge. If the talk of " malevolent " nonsense is the reply, we say straight away that it satisfies neither us nor the public, and we add our voice to the call for information as to the period over which the Food Production Department has had its tractors, the amount of land ploughed by each.traator, and the cost per acre ploughed.