Land Problems and National Welfare 



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I have roughly sketched out the leading 

 features of the older order of Agricultural 

 Associations. 



I do not think I should have to go on to 

 describe the new class at all if the local 

 Chambers of Agriculture had displayed the 

 vitality which is conspicuous in the Central 

 Chamber in London. But alas ! in many dis- 

 tricts of England landowners ceased regularly 

 to attend the meetings of their Chamber, and 

 business dealings got more and more into the 

 hands of tradesmen ; it became hard to find 

 farmers capable of acting as branch secretaries 

 or willing to give up the time; and so a sense 

 of dissatisfaction grew among a large number 

 of farmers who felt that something had to be 

 done and that the Chambers were not doing 

 it. 



This is undoubtedly the cause of the stir and 

 movement among farmers which has been so 

 noticeable during the last few years ; this wish 

 and determination to do something has found 

 expression in quite a galaxy of agricultural 

 societies. The leading spirits have very gene- 

 rally felt that attempts in the past to unite 

 landowner, tenant and labourer in one body have 

 failed, and that therefore the new associations 

 must be composed of farmers with no landlord 

 members at all. 



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