56 ROCK AND FAR FOREST 



spring work, and are free at fruit-picking and 

 harvest times. The number within recent years 

 has become much more limited owing to the buying 

 up of small freeholds, as they came into the market, 

 by retired tradespeople and town men, the place 

 being near to Birmingham, with fine scenery and 

 in a healthy district. Where these purchasers 

 continue to let the holdings to the local man, they, 

 as a rule, form the worst type of landlord, and 

 exact the very highest rent. 



The genuine small holder is therefore being 

 placed at a great disadvantage in the exceedingly 

 high rent he has to pay for indifferent land ; 

 working it as he does with his other means of 

 subsistence, he is practically forced to pay what he 

 can only recoup by very hard work. There is no 

 doubt that an adequate supply of land in small lots 

 would be a great boon to the deserving people of 

 this district, and enable them to be prosperous 

 where they are now struggling. 



