Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and...

MAF 261

1940-1974

These files are largely concerned with the administration of grant-aided schemes to provide water supplies to improve agricultural production in rural areas.

They include policy papers on the level of capital investment allowable for schemes, the limits of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food involvement and plans for ensuring the continuity of farm water supplies (particularly in an emergency), eligibility for grants, materials to be used to connect the supply, methods of payment and supervision, and the approval of schemes eligible for grants administered jointly with other ministries.

The files show the degree of liaison necessary with local authorities, water boards, and the Agricultural Land Service in undertaking water supply schemes.

There are also some representative case files, and files of statistics for surveys of irrigation including the preparation and input of figures for the UK contributions to the World Census on Irrigation 1960 and 1970.

From 1944 to 1957 the rural water supply work was dealt with in the newly opened LMU series and files still active in 1957 were re-registered into the new WS series.

WS file series

Public Record(s)

English

62 file(s)

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

1957

Series is accruing

From 1929 when the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries first became involved with water supply projects until 1939, this area was dealt with by the Land Improvement Division. Between 1939 and 1944, water supplies were supervised by the various War Agricultural Executive Committees. By this time matters pertaining to rural water supplies were being dealt with by Land Drainage Water Supply and Machinery Division at Headquarters.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the arbiter of the 'agricultural benefit' likely to accrue as a result of a water project, which, if allowed, is supported in the form of grants for equipment (eg. pipes and mains) and for the provision of farm water supplies generally. There are various levels of grant and many types of scheme, both public and private. Some schemes involved the ministry acting as agent or co-sponsor with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG).