272 THE AYLESTONE ALLOTMENTS 



notice to quit.* If all the parties concerned were 

 owners of their plots there would be no remedy against 

 a careless cultivation, and even if they all rented direct 

 from the land-owners the control would not be anything 

 like so effective. 



As for the land-owners themselves, they have a 

 distinct gain in accepting a registered and trustworthy 

 co-operative society as their tenant in preference to a 

 large number of individuals. They are sure of the rent 

 in a lump sum whenever it is due, whereas, if the 

 owners, say, of the land used for the Aylestone allot- 

 ments dealt direct with 172 different tenants, they would 

 not only be put to much trouble and cost, but would 

 certainly lose to the extent of 20 per cent, on removals 

 and bad debts. 



The co-operative society relieves them of all worry, 

 but does not itself run the same risk. Whereas the 

 land-owner, or his agent, would be personally acquainted 

 with only a very small proportion of the tenants, there 

 would not be one among the latter, or even probably 

 among the candidates for tenancy, with whom some 

 member or other of the committee was not acquainted. 

 The society can thus make a better choice of tenants 

 than the landlord could, just as it can exercise better 

 supervision over them afterwards. So, instead of losing 

 20 per cent, as the land-owners might do by direct 

 letting, the society does not lose at the outside more 

 than i J per cent, from bad debts, even if the percentage 

 should exeed i per cent. All expenditure is kept to a 

 minimum, the only paid officer being the secretary, 

 who receives a modest allowance for the considerable 

 amount of work involved in his duties ; and so well 

 managed is the whole undertaking that a profit of 



* The full text of the regulations enforced will be found in the 

 Appendix. 



