208 TWYFORD, LEICESTERSHIRE 



not want for his own consumption. He calculated 

 he made 8 a year out of his acre to pay for his 

 own labour. 



He considered the land had already paid for itself, 

 and was of opinion that this system of acquiring 

 land, with facilities for paying the purchase-money 

 by easy instalments, was of the greatest assistance to 

 an agricultural labourer ; and that, though it would 

 not be possible for a man to save on his wages 

 while bringing up a family sufficiently to pay a 

 lump sum down, he saw no reason why an agri- 

 cultural labourer would not be able to do it in this 

 way. 



Reasons why the Agricultural Labourer 

 did not take it up. 



The local opinion as to why it was not more 

 taken up by labourers, though it may seem trivial, 

 is worth considering as an illustration of the ele- 

 mentary facts that have to be dealt with in an 

 unenlightened neighbourhood. The chief fault 

 seemed to be the ignorance and suspicion of the 

 labourers. Many of them declared that at the end 

 of the ten years it would somehow be proved that 

 the land was not theirs at all, and that they were 

 somehow being * done.' This attitude of mind was 

 attributed to want of education, and to bad treat- 

 ment by the farmers. Many were also afraid that the 

 possession of a piece of land would prevent them 

 from getting parish relief; in that case, being 

 obliged to sell, they would probably have to do so 



