Small Holdings and Agriculture 



of the soil found it much easier to borrow money 

 than it is now ; joint stock banks have for the 

 most part swallowed up the old banks, and they 

 will not advance money on the personal qualities, 

 or, indeed, upon any security that the indi- 

 vidual tenant farmer can give. Admitting the 

 new financial conditions it has become necessary 

 to find a security that will be accepted and this 

 needed security is provided by the mutual 

 guarantee of a group of individuals which forms 

 the basis of a credit bank system available 

 alike for tenant or owner. 



In the Small Holdings Act I know that pro- 

 vision was made for the creation of credit banks ; 

 but practically no steps have been taken to give 

 effect to these provisions, and even now there is 

 no guarantee that the matter will be taken up 

 and dealt with in a comprehensive way. 



The framers of that Act seem to have thought 

 that the practical knowledge of husbandry and of 

 country life in general on the part of the appli- 

 cant constitutes a sufficient guarantee that the 

 holding will be well cultivated. They do not 

 appear to have taken into consideration the 

 fact that most of the newly created small holders 

 will be either semi-tradesmen or labourers from 

 large farms where extensive cultivation is in 

 vogue. 



How can such persons without expert guidance 

 put the land to the best use ? 



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