LOCAL DEMAND 261 



most landowners would not possess, it is safer to 

 proceed on known lines, and to aim merely at 

 supplying the demand which already exists, to a 

 greater or lesser degree, in most parts of the 

 country. 



Proceeding on these lines, there are three main 

 points for the owner of an estate to consider : 



I. The actual local demand for holdings. 



II. The type of holdings required in the par- 

 ticular district. 



III. What facilities exist on his estate for meet- 

 ing this demand on the lines required. 



I. THE LOCAL DEMAND FOR HOLDINGS. 



A mere absence of definite applications for small 

 holdings can never be taken as a sign of an absence 

 of desire for them. A safe gauge of the demand is 

 the amount of competition evinced for such small 

 holdings as already exist, and the relative amount 

 of rent which small men show it is worth their 

 while to pay, compared with the current rent for 

 larger farms. 



It is not enough to be content with the fact that 

 there is an unsatisfied demand. Before the next 

 two points mentioned above are considered, it will 

 be necessary to analyze the demand i.e., ascertain 

 what are the class of men whose needs want supply- 

 ing and then, in the light of these requirements, 

 consider any facilities which exist on the estate for 

 meeting them. 



