THE COUNCIL'S DIFFICULTIES 381 



plates the creation of small freeholds, and to 

 facilitate this object requires only one-fifth of the 

 purchase money to be paid down. Your Com- 

 mittee would certainly recommend that, as a rule, 

 no petition be acceded to where the large majority 

 of the petitioners are not prepared to become 

 purchasers, land being offered to let only in a few 

 and comparatively exceptional instances. 



* Your Committee would wish also to point out 

 the difficulty they are in in negotiating with an 

 owner, in consequence of their being unable to 

 make him a definite offer, their power under the 

 Act being limited to recommending the purchase 

 to the Council ; and the further difficulty that 

 they can come to no terms with petitioners till 

 they know the price they will have to pay the 

 owner, while the Council cannot with safety agree 

 to a price with the owner till it can be assured 

 that the terms agreed on with the petitioners will 

 guarantee it against loss.' 



In this particular case the two points brought 

 out are, in the first instance, the fear of loss ; and, 

 secondly, the difficulties in actual negotiation. 



It is probable that if the risk of incurring a charge 

 on the rates was removed from the County Council, 

 and that they were merely administrators of a grant 

 from a national fund, they would be found less 

 unwilling to consider possible undertakings. This 

 question is now recognized as a national one ; 

 therefore, until at any rate a system of small 

 holdings has been actually created, it may be 



