COUNTY COUNCIL DEFICIENCIES 369 



upon them, both by outsiders and by those who 

 have been connected with the actual workings in 

 each case. It is only possible to comment in 

 particular upon cases where one has had an oppor- 

 tunity of local knowledge, and in general by 

 judgment of results. 



In the case of Wiltshire we have an insight into 

 the official interpretation of the words of the Act, 

 * in good faith and on reasonable grounds ' viz. : 

 'The applicants being either unable to point to 

 any land which they wished to rent, or pointing to 

 land which they admitted could not be used for the 

 purpose without injury or injustice to the present 

 holders.' 



Want of Sympathy and Knowledge on Part 

 of County Council. 



There is no doubt that while some County 

 Councils may have made an honest endeavour to 

 deal with the cases where petitions had been sent 

 in, only too many of them were ready to accept 

 as a final decision, without further comment or 

 inquiry, any discouraging finding of the Small 

 Holdings Sub-Committee, and to let the matter 

 drop. 



At first a certain number of applications seem to 

 have come in, as it was intended they should, on 

 the initiative of the people themselves who desired 

 land. Practically all the applications received in 

 most of the counties were made during the first 



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