Social and Political Aspects 121 



this the only non-economic motive which affects the landlord adversely 

 to small holdings. The cutting up of large fields and pastures, or the 

 multiplication of buildings, or even of houses with smoking chimneys, 

 may offend his taste and his sense of pride in his estate. Again, 

 many Conservatively-minded landlords are doubtful whether the new 

 race of small farmers, mostly raised from the ranks of the mere 

 labourers, will represent the political views of their squire as well as 

 the old true-blue large farmers ; or whether the creation of these new 

 holdings may not create a crowd of radical land-reformers on their 

 own preserves. This alone is sufficient to make many landlords 

 prefer lowering the rent of their existing tenants to cutting up the 

 farms with a view to obtaining a larger income. But their leanings 

 in this direction are strongly confirmed by the influence of their land- 

 agents. These latter have to administer the estates, to collect the 

 rents and to treat with the tenants. The landlord, who spends his 

 time hunting and shooting, the season in London, the winter in Paris 

 or on the Riviera, has comparatively little time on his own land, and 

 knows little of its economic aspects. He consults his agent on such 

 points ; and the agent is in favour of large holdings. The large 

 farmer is of the same social standing as himself, often his personal 

 friend, and all difficult questions can be settled between them over a 

 sociable glass of whisky. The trouble begins when the small farmer 

 has to be dealt with 1 . In this case the tenant regards the agent as a 

 capitalist rent-collector ; the agent regards the tenant as little better 

 than a proletarian. Consequently their relations tend to be strained. 

 Besides this, one holding of 300 acres gives the agent considerably 

 less trouble, less controversy over repairs and such matters, than the 

 same area when cut up into say fifteen holdings of 20 acres eachj 

 The large farmer does small repairs for himself; to the little farmei 

 every job seems big enough for a call upon the landlord. Hence the 

 dislike of the agents for small holdings : and they have as a rule the 

 ear of their employer. It must not however be forgotten that there' 

 are honourable exceptions to this rule. There are wide-minded or 

 energetic landlords (as for example the present President of the Board 

 of Agriculture, Lord Carrington) and agents under such landlords 

 who are really interested in carrying out their views 1 . But on the 



1 The statement in the (distinctly Conservative) Report of 1906 that " of the agents who 

 appeared before the Committee none expressed themselves as hostile to the creation of small 

 holdings" is a somewhat naive defence in face of the facts, which are unfortunately only too 

 well-known. The land-agents naturally do not ascribe their prejudice to mere selfishness, but 

 to purely technical and economic considerations. 



* Small Holdings Report, 1906, Minutes, qu. 8059 (Mr J. Tomkinson) : and the evidence 

 of Mr H. M. Jonas, agent for Lord Carrington, pp. 358 ff. 



