52 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



yield. As stated elsewhere {vide page 104) the yield of 

 the land of the United Kingdom has not been increasing, 

 even with increasing prices for agricultural produce ; for 

 instance, in the period between 1904 and 19 14, the 

 production from our land was declining. 



This is the fundamental fact. 



The nation as a whole has become aware of this fact, 

 and they blamic the farmer, or the landowner, or both ; 

 they in no way realize that the unsatisfactory condition 

 to-day is mainly due to the lack of a national land policy, 

 and now they demand that " something " should be 

 done. 



This is the reason why the Government is now con- 

 cerning itself with the land and agriculture in a way it 

 has never done before. It is unthinkable that the Govern- 

 ment would have interfered at all had the yield from our 

 land been increasing, as is the case in Germany or 

 Denmark. Any interference on the part of Government 

 means a greater or less degree of official control. And 

 there is nothing more distasteful to the British farmer 

 than official control. It is useless for him to battle 

 against control ; there must be control of some kind if 

 we are to organize and develop the industry. 



But official control which is dangerous and unsound can 

 be checkmated, if all agriculturists will combine and 

 show that they themselves can control their industry, and 

 develop it in the nation's interest as well as in their own. 

 This is the only sound control. 



In 1866 the Central Chamber of Agriculture was 

 created ; its object was to bring owners, farmers and 

 labourers into one organization, but it never attracted 

 labour, and although it has done much useful work for 

 the Agricultural cause its membership never exceeded 

 about twenty-five thousand. It was in no way a Union. 



