Small Holdings and Agriculture 



the benefit of the inhabitants of the district. 

 It has a duty not only towards the new race 

 of small holders that is springing up, but also 

 to the old-established small holders who often 

 have a hard enough time through not knowing 

 how best to treat their holdings. 



Is it universally realised that about one half 

 of the agriculturists of England who are not 

 farm labourers are farmers of under 50 acres ? 



This is just the class that of itself can do 

 least to improve its condition — the class that 

 wants most help. 



County Councils have Whiskey money to spend 

 on technical education, yet they have been slow 

 in devising means of putting beneficial technical 

 instruction within the reach of this class. They 

 should not deny to the struggling agriculturists 

 the benefit of their fair share of this money. 

 And it is to be hoped that when County Councils 

 draw up plans for utilizing the grants from the 

 Development Fund, they will remember that 

 these grants should be considered as supple- 

 mentary to that proportion of Whiskey money 

 which for years past they should have been 

 spending on education beneficial to agriculture. 



County Councils have worked very hard since 

 the passing of the Act ; the amount of work 

 done has been out of all proportion to the 

 results obtained. The transfer of land is need- 

 lessly troublesome, and the whole process should 



239 



