COTTAGE ACCOMMODATION. 283 



as yet taken advantage of this clause. In 

 my opinion the Act should be further amended, 

 so that cottages could be built in villages on 

 half an acre of land, and I may mention here, 

 that during an interview I had with Mr. 

 Walter Runciman on the 20th February 1912, 

 he intimated to me that he was in favour of 

 this amendment as well as one which would 

 allow the capital charge for outbuildings to be 

 spread over a longer period. 



In recent years, concurrently with the 

 movement of townsmen towards spending their 

 week-ends in the country, there has also been 

 a gradual rise in the value of old cottages. 

 Many good people with the best of intentions 

 have not yet realised that, in taking these old 

 country cottages and furnishing them for the 

 week-end, they are making it increasingly 

 difficult for the labourer to live. It is not 

 good that a producer should be elbowed out 

 by a non-producer. However, as we cannot 

 make new laws to prevent townspeople from 

 occupying country cottages (and I do not see 

 why we should, for I can quite sympathise 

 with those who desire to get out of town 

 as quickly and as often as they possibly can), 

 we must see that new cottages are built to 



