158 THE HISTON ESTATE 



and they were of opinion that if this estate had 

 been put up in small lots, the company would have 

 realized a far higher price for it. 



General Results. 



The Small Farm and Labourers' Land Com- 

 pany came to an untimely end, and it has become 

 customary to cite it as an instance of the failures 

 likely to attend any small-holding scheme ; but 

 an unbiassed survey of the whole undertaking 

 hardly seems to justify this view. The small-hold- 

 ing system is not at fault ; the main idea of the 

 company's method was also workable, but various 

 conditions in the way of carrying out the scheme 

 caused its final failure. 



First, the estates were bought before a consider- 

 able fall in the general value of land, and they were 

 sold after a second fall had taken place. 



Secondly, they were bought without due regard 

 to suitable conditions : there does not seem to have 

 been anything much done in the way of previous 

 inquiries. They were not supplied as an answer to 

 a healthy local demand, but were acquired on the 

 supposition that the supply would create a demand. 

 The unsuitable estates, which were naturally 

 disastrous failures, were responsible for the financial 

 embarrassments, which did not occur on the more 

 successful ones. 



Thirdly, where there was a demand the agricul- 

 tural labourer wished to hire and not to purchase ; 

 there was great difficulty in selling any land. In 



