COTTAGES MAY BE REMUNERATIVE. 91 



of an adequate number of cottages for the work- 

 people. These, with the farm and all other 

 necessary buildings, should be let to the farmer 

 at a rent which should give a fair return on the 

 landlord's capital, and the farmer and the la- 

 bourer should be left to deal with each other 

 on the basis of adequate remuneration for 

 useful service, regulated by the ultimate rule of 

 demand and supply. On this footing the return 

 on labourers' cottages will become as remune- 

 rative as that of any other outlay of landowners' 

 capital, because it will be controlled by the real 

 necessity and requirements of the farm. 



This will apply chiefly in cases where new Better 

 cottages are attached to farms, and fresh outlay wanted 



rather than 



for that object is to be made. But, in the vast more of 



them. 



majority of cases, labourers' cottages already 

 exist in sufficient numbers. Better cottages are 

 required in many parts of the country, rather 

 than more of them. It has been already stated 

 that during the last thirty years the agricultural 

 population has diminished. The circumstances 

 which have led to that continue in full strength. 

 Increased facilities of locomotion between dif- 



