THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY 121 



the name of the Cudworth Small Holdings Associa- 

 tion. It differs from the other two in being of a 

 much smaller scope, dealing as it does with the 

 creation of one definite colony of small holders 

 only by the resale in small plots of an estate of 

 367 acres in Surrey. 



Each of these undertakings will now be con- 

 sidered in detail, with special reference to their 

 bearing on the question of the further establishment 

 of small holdings at the present time. 



THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY. 



The history of this undertaking is briefly as 

 follows : In 1845 a great meeting was held in 

 London, to which Feargus O'Connor submitted 

 his views on the land question ; the result was 

 the formation of the ' Chartist Co-operative Land 

 Society '; this name was shortly afterwards altered 

 to the ' National Land Company.' Shares of l 6s. 

 each were allotted and paid up in weekly instal- 

 ments of 3d., 6d., and Is. Each holder of two 

 shares was entitled to ballot for a house with 

 2 acres and 15 capital advanced to start with ; a 

 holder of three shares could ballot for a house 

 and 3 acres, and 22 10s. capital ; a holder of four 

 shares for a house of 4 acres and an advance of 

 30. The successful allottees became owners of 

 their holdings subject to an annual rent-charge 

 equal to 5 per cent, on the original outlay. 



The company bought estates, divided them up 



