276 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



good agricultural land on the European Continent 

 or in Australia. It is almost as nonsensical to 

 say that a remedy is to be found in raising the 

 proportion of small-holders to 88 per cent, instead 

 of 12 per cent as at present. The main need is 

 for a greater area under cultivation rather than 

 a change of owners. Under present conditions 

 a great scheme of small holdings on Irish lines 

 would probably make derelict a great additional 

 area, by subtracting land which keeps in cul- 

 tivation now because of other than economic 

 reasons. The English land needs a surer market 

 for its products, better educated masters and 

 workers, smaller burdens of taxation, and the 

 devotion of a great capital fund on Credit Fonder 

 lines to its re-equipment with cottages and other 

 machinery. There should be provided for it a 

 first lien on the British market, a comprehensive 

 system of agricultural technical education (de- 

 signed for labourers as well as for research pro- 

 fessors), a readjustment of taxation, and an 

 agricultural bank with at least £100,000,000 of 

 credit to better the housing, to improve the 

 machinery, to finance tenants and others wish- 

 ing to become freeholders of small farms. 



