FAILURE OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE 17 



of Lands Order, 191 7, armed with the drastic 

 powers of Regulation 2 m, which could deter- 

 mine the lease of any person who by reason 

 of incompetency or persistent neglect did not 

 make proper use of his land. 



In spite of the spirit of brotherhood which 

 leapt like a flame to the hearts of most men, 

 while facing the common danger of starvation 

 and invasion, stimulating the squire to grasp 

 the hand in fellowship of the poacher (he might 

 turn out to be a useful sniper), inspiring the 

 farmer to drive his man to the nearest tribunal 

 in order to extol his labours as essential to the 

 conduct of the farm (oh, what wonderfully 

 short memories now have we that victory is 

 ours !) ; in spite of duchesses who became 

 dairymaids, the goods were not being de- 

 livered, and private enterprise began to bear 

 an aspect of fear when confronted with a 

 multitude of islanders demanding bread. Sud- 

 denly agriculture as a cult became fashionable. 

 Indeed, it stood in some danger of being 

 suffocated by aristocratic patronage. " Let 

 us," I heard Lord Ernie, when President of 

 the Board of Agriculture, say in the drawing- 

 room of the Countess of Sandwich, " let us 

 have a sense of proportion. Do not let us talk 

 about bees. Marie Antoinette became a dairy- 

 maid when the people of France clamoured for 

 bread. But she was too late. Let us not be 

 too late." 



