xxviii LAND REFORM 



of 1906 shows that the conversion of arable land into 

 pasture was being continued with speed and per- 

 sistency; that of 1907 tells the same dismal tale of the 

 yearly diminishing area of land under the plough. 



The area devoted to growing the three chief cereals 

 — wheat, barley, and oats — has decreased during the 

 last year (Return 1907) by nearly 90,000 acres, and is 

 now the lowest on record. 



The references to Socialism (pp. 417-20) were 

 penned before the last general election, and it is in- 

 teresting and instructive to note that the forebodings 

 then uttered have been realized so soon. 



The socialistic element is now powerful in the House 

 of Commons ; is a force in the Administration itself ; 

 and has a marked influence on the policy of the 

 Government. The Small Holdings and Allotments 

 Act of last session is a distinct recognition of the 

 socialistic demand for the nationalization of the land. 

 That measure erects a barrier against small holders 

 ever becoming owners of the soil they till. They are 

 to be tenants of County Councils, without any legal 

 security as regards rent or tenure. The rent they 

 will have to pay will include interest on the money 

 paid for the land, the heavy local expenses incurred, 

 and, in addition, a yearly sum as a sinking fund which 

 in a period of years will recoup the whole cost of the 

 holdings. The land, however, for which the small 

 holders will have paid actual cash, will not belong to 

 them but to the County Councils who are their land- 

 lords ! 



During the passage of the Bill through Parliament, 

 all attempts to give the small holders even the option 

 of purchase were defeated. The settled policy of the 



