22 A UNIONIST AGRICULTURAL POLICY 



It is commonly said that small holdings are 

 uneconomic and have to be artificially created. It 

 is very important to understand that there are 

 districts in England where small holdings are 

 economic. There would be vastly larger districts 

 where they would be economic if the conditions 

 favourable to agriculture generally which we 

 advocate were created. 



There is at present no small holdings tradition 

 such as exists on the Continent. The majority 

 of small-holders do not crop their holdings as 

 small holdings should be cropped ; they do not 

 understand the use of artificial manures ; they do 

 not know how to market or to buy to the best 

 advantage. And it is really to be wondered that 

 our small-holders have maintained themselves to 

 the extent they have. 



Under the Small Holdings Act of 1908, the 

 development has been slow and the administra- 

 tion of the County Councils unsatisfactory. The 

 chief failing of the Act is that it has forced upon 

 all County Councils the duty of developing small 

 holdings whether or no they have land really 

 suitable for the purpose. The second failing of 

 the Act is that it does not clearly distinguish 

 between the case of the bona fide holder, who is 

 going to make his entire living off his holding, 

 and the man who either wants accommodation 

 land or a few additional acres to augment his 

 present holding. The failure in administration is 



