COLONISING CROWN LANDS. 89 



daughter answered, ' Father don't sell them 

 like that ; he sends them away to salesmen.' 

 Thereupon, my daughter tells me, he brought 

 out a handful of gold and silver and coppers, 

 and presented her with — what do you think ? — 

 tuppence ! tuppence ! " 



At Moulton one finds JNlr. J. H. Diggle, 

 and when you have found Mr. J. H. Diggle 

 you are in the company of the most experienced 

 small holders' land-agent in England. Mr. 

 Raymond Webb of Evesham runs him close, 

 but Mr. Diggle has a larger area and a greater 

 diversity of holdings to administer. If the 

 Board of Agriculture had been wise in its 

 day, it would have appointed such men as 

 commissioners.^ 



Mr. Diggle is, for instance, not only agent 

 for the Parish Council holdings at Moulton, 

 consisting of 922 acres, but also agent for the 



' It is with great pleasure I learn since writing the above that 

 Mr. Diggle has been appointed Commissioner for tlie Isle of Ely 

 County Council — a council of large farmers hitherto distinguished 

 only for what Carlyle would term pig-philosophy. They are the 

 only Council which have displayed the colossal stupidity to 

 object to applicants forming a co - operative Small Holders' 

 Association. It is obvious that such associations save County 

 Councils the extra trouble of collecting rents from individuals. 

 Although 400 men altogether in the single parish of Elm have 

 applied for land since li)U8, not a foot of land has yet been 

 granted to them ! 



