Description:Pictured at the annual conference of the Staffordshire Association of Food Production Guilds at Rodbaston Farm Institute, are left to right: Mr L J Wyles, Vice-Chairman, Mrs Jessie Evans, Hon. Secretary, Mr J W Jones, Chairman, Miss J Harrison, O.B.E., President and Mr W B Mercer, C.B.E., M.C., Provincial Director of the National Agricultural Advisory Service.
The importance of maintaining maximum production from cottage gardens was stressed at the conference. Welcoming members from all parts of the county, the President, Miss J Harrison of Maer Hall, said that Guild members were doing a two-fold job extremely well. They were beautifying the country they loved with the flowers they grew and they were maintaining and increasing the nation’s supply of food. They were the architects of the well-being of England.
In her report the Hon. Secretary, Mrs Jessie Evans said that the movement of Food Production Guilds in Staffordshire had completed a full year as an independent and self-supporting body and although they had no room for complacency, they had reasons for satisfaction. Presenting the accounts Mrs Evans said the results were very satisfactory. After meeting expenses, including the annual conference, the county quiz, the county news-sheet and advisory work, they managed to retain a balance of £25 in their first year of being an independent organisation.
Miss Harrison was unanimously re-elected President on the proposal of Mr J W Fieldhouse of Standon Guild; Mrs Evans was reappointed Hon. Secretary and Treasurer and Mr O L Massey, Hon. Auditor. The following Guild representatives were appointed to the executive committee: Mrs L Wilson of Abbots Bromley, Mrs C F Horton of Ashley, Mr R A Jones of Eccleshall, Mr J W Jones of Maer, Mr W H Selway of Newborough, Mr J W Fieldhouse of Standon, Mr A Holmes of Tittensor and Mr Norris of Woodseaves.
Following the business meeting the conference was addressed by Mr W B Mercer, West Midland Provincial Director of the National Agricultural Advisory Service, on the subject of food production on the domestic scale. He said that during the war we produced a great deal more of our bread corn and greatly expanded our milk production, but we allowed our beef, pigs and poultry to decline. After the war we had hoped for a more varied diet with proteinous foods, but things had not gone well and whilst the population of the world had increased, food producers had failed to deliver the goods in the same proportion. Moreover the difficulties of international trade seemed unending. Since the war, nation after nation had turned to industrial work to the neglect of its agriculture. For financial reasons it had also become increasingly difficult to buy from countries on the dollar basis, so that we were called upon to produce more food ourselves. Commenting that he was often appalled by the way market garden crops were offered to the public, he said that he would rather spend his effort producing something very satisfying than something which was merely food.
A feature of the conference was handsome displays of flowers, fruit and vegetables staged by Guild members from Ashley, Maer and Tittensor, while Standon Guild staged a bee-keeping exhibit and there were other exhibits by the Staffordshire Federation of Women’s Institutes, the County Library and the Education committee.
Reproduced by kind permission of the Staffordshire Newsletter who retain copyright.