370 EFFECT OF FAILURE 



year after the Act came into force. Out of 103 

 alluded to in the returns, 90 were sent in before 

 the end of 1893. Since that time the few applica- 

 tions that have come in have, as a rule, been made 

 through the initiative of an energetic County 

 Councillor or a local so-called ' agitator,' who, 

 knowing the needs of the men, has shown them 

 how to use their powers. 



Nothing is so catching amongst agricultural men 

 of the particular class for whom the act was framed 

 as the effect of success to one of their own number 

 in any undertaking. If, in the first year or two, 

 members of the County Councils had been more 

 personally sympathetic with, and had had a greater 

 knowledge of, the rural wants which would have 

 enabled them to put the powers of the Act to 

 better effect, ' a small revolution might have been 

 effected ' to quote the words of an expert on this 

 question. 



As it was, the bolder spirits who had made an 

 attempt to sample what this Bill was to do for 

 them had nothing finally to show to tempt their 

 more cautious brethren to follow their example. 



The following official statements, while throwing 

 no light on the actual reasons as to why no action 

 was taken after applications, will serve to illustrate 

 this want of sympathy and knowledge to those 

 who are really aware of the very real and keen 

 desire in these particular country districts for small 

 holdings : 



Lincoln (Kesteven). After applications from 



