THE 'EVESHAM CUSTOM' 299 



tenancy, and spend thousands of pounds on planting 

 them with fruit, feeling quite satisfied with the security 

 which the local ' custom ' gives them. In practice, 

 growers, small and large, take as much interest in the 

 cultivation of their land as if they were the actual 

 owners. They have the advantages of ownership 

 without the attendant drawbacks, and, in these cir- 

 cumstances, there is very little probability, whatever 

 increase there may be in the facilities offered, that men 

 of moderate means at Evesham will want to bury their 

 working capital in the luxury of actual ownership. 

 Still, if they do want to buy, the syndicate will 

 afford them reasonable facilities for gratifying their 

 aspiration. 



Operating on the lines here detailed, ' private enter- 

 prise ' should be able to purchase land, at the outset, 

 not only cheaper than a local authority, but especially 

 much cheaper than the small holders, acting indi- 

 vidually, could do. The saving also in lawyers' fees 

 and legal charges, as compared with what a group of 

 ' peasant proprietors ' would be called upon to pay, 

 represents in itself a considerable item. Then the 

 cottages will cost less when put up by the syndicate 

 than if they were built either by a County Council or 

 by the occupiers. The advantages, as compared with 

 individual ownership, go, however, much further than 

 this. Under a scheme such as that with which I am 

 here dealing, the unit of administration is the com- 

 munity. Questions of drainage, ditches, roads, and 

 fencing will be dealt with as a whole instead of by 

 individual tenants. It may also be assumed that 

 effective precautions will be taken against negligent 

 cultivation to the detriment of neighbours' interests. 

 One further guarantee the syndicate would offer. As 

 men having practical acquaintance with the needs of 



