DECREASE OF COUNTRY POPULATION. 93 



counties and in the manufacturing and mining 

 districts that an increase has taken place. 

 Future provision for agricultural labourers' 

 dwellings ought, therefore, to be in the direction 

 of improvement rather than increase. 



Abundant proof might easily be adduced 

 from most parts of the country that on the main 

 heads of agricultural improvement there should 

 be no lack of good return. The fact that the 

 outlay goes on without diminution, notwith- 

 standing the great increase in the cost of labour 

 and materials, would alone upset all reasoning, 

 and isolated instances, to the contrary. A very Examples 



of remu- 



mstructive paper on this part ot the subject was nerative 



expendi- 



produced by the managing director of the Lands ture. 

 Improvement Company. It showed a return of 

 forty cases of outlays, not picked cases, but 

 taken as they happened to come, with the in- 

 creased rentals subsequent to the improvements. 

 Upon an outlay in the aggregate of ,195,000 

 there was an increased rental of ^"31,000. This 

 increase had been obtained within seven to ten 

 years. In only five instances did the increase 

 fall short of repaying the annual charge which 



