Land Problems and National Welfare 



I think many people make too strong a point 

 of the indebtedness of the continental peasant 

 proprietors. In England it is fatal for a small 

 holder to run into debt if he is only getting about 

 half of the potential value out of his holding, 

 but where small farmers are doing really well 

 indebtedness is by no means a bad sign ; it is 

 quite good business to borrow capital at 3% if 

 the farmer is pretty certain that he will make 

 10% on the amount borrowed. 



The great obstacle in the way of the exten- 

 sion of small holdings is the cost of equipment, 

 an obstacle formidable alike to County Councils 

 and to landowners. By far the easiest and 

 most practical way of overcoming this difficulty 

 is to let the small holders do their own equipping 

 and even when possible build their own houses. 

 Of course they can do this only if they combine 

 and form co-operative societies ; if they will 

 adopt this course then equipment and buildings 

 will be secured at the lowest possible cost — 

 for the men will by degrees do much of the 

 work themselves. 



That all this is within the scope of practical 

 politics is shown by the fact that the Agricultural 

 Organisation Society has already 11 1 branch 

 societies organised for the purpose of acquiring 

 land. 



County Councils could do much more than 

 they have done in the past to encourage the 



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