THE QUACK AND THE LAND. 23 



that it is so, but put forward merely a sup- 

 posititious argument — that a great increase in 

 the number of small farms in England would 

 decrease a little the net yield per acre, but 

 would attract a large number of contented 

 settlers to the soil and allay a great amount 

 of political dissatisfaction, the sound conclusion 

 might be that the gain was greater than the 

 loss, and the step was, therefore, advisable. 

 But if small holdings meant a great decrease in 

 net yield, perhaps such a yield as to make the 

 difference between profitable and unprofitable 

 cultivation, the sound conclusion might be in 

 a different direction. It is a matter of politics 

 as well as of economics. 



Perhaps an illustration drawn from another 

 question, in which political as well as expert 

 scientific considerations must have weight, 

 will make my argument more clear. In the 

 matter of national defence in my country 

 (Australia), the system used to be that we paid 

 a subsidy — a quite inadequate subsidy — to the 

 Imperial Navy for sea defence, and main- 

 tained a partially paid militia, again quite 

 inadequate, for land defence. One school of 



