108 THE AGRICULTURAL CLUB. 



It may in the future become desirable, from a political point 

 of view, but not from the agricultural, for nationalisation of 

 the land in itself will not increase its yield. What we require 

 to-day is the application to our agricultural industry of those 

 forces and principles which have within recent years caused 

 so striking a development in the Agriculture of other European 

 nations. 



Let us first achieve that high development of our primary 

 industry, and then, if the nation should determine to try a politi- 

 cal experiment with the land, it may stand it better than at the 

 present time, when Agriculture is just recovering from long years 

 of depression and oppression. 



In the ensuing discussion Mir. Lobjoit, speaking as a 

 cultivator of the land and also as a member of the Land 

 Nationalisation Society, observed that under present 

 conditions the best form of tenure was ownership and the 

 next best tenancy under the old-fashioned landlord, who 

 looked after his tenants. Under Nationalisation there 

 would be increased control and also, no doubt, increased 

 rents, but on the other hand, farmers would have security 

 of tenure. Tenants of Corporations and public bodies now 

 felt themselves as secure as if they owned their holdings. 

 There would also be no danger of a tenant being rented on 

 his own improvements and no difficulty in ensuring that 

 the land was put to the best use in the interests of the 

 community. 



Mr. W. R. Smith, M.P., said the old system of landlordism 

 was disappearing, and the choice now was between tenancy 

 on an estate bought by speculators and the nationalisation 

 of the land. 



Sir Arthur Boscawen, M.P., who took part in the discussion 

 as a visitor, remarked that Land Nationalisation was a 

 political not an agricultural question. Under the present 

 system the landlord provided the equipment and if Agri- 

 culture developed more capital was attracted to the land. 

 Under Nationalisation every time money was wanted for 

 drainage, etc., the tenant would have to go cap in hand to 

 the Treasury. There might be some bad landowners now 

 but they could be dealt with, while the State would always 

 be a bad landowner. 



