65 



3s. per week, free of rates." Mr. Whitehead considers that Small 

 while allotments may make the married labourers more con- Hcll 

 tented, they do not offer any inducement to keep the younger 

 men on the land. As regards small holdings, he writes : " The 

 importance of small holdings and their usefulness in keeping 

 villagers on the land, are not sufficiently realised in Kent. 

 Where there are small holders they do well, especially those 

 who have a little fruit land, but there is certainly a difficulty 

 in obtaining land for small holdings." (See also p. 101.) 



SURREY. Large farms are easier to get and less wanted, and 

 therefore disproportionately cheaper than small ones. Small 

 holdings at fair rents are badly wanted but are difficult to get. 

 Had they been obtainable, it is thought the decline in popu- 

 lation would not have been so great. 



SUSSEX. There appears to be no difficulty as regard* allot- 

 ments, and these are not much wanted, as most of the cottages 

 have good gardens attached. With reference to small hold- 

 ings, Mr. Haviland writes : " There is a great demand for small 

 grass holdings from 10 to 40 acres, but speaking generally, 

 these small farmers are not able to pay such rents as to justify 

 the extra capital outlay on house and buildings. The demand 

 is created quite as much by retired tradesmen and people who 

 vainly hope to make a living amidst pleasant surroundings, 

 as by agricultural labourers who have saved a few pounds and 

 seek to improve their position." He further observes that a 

 farmer cannot well employ a labourer who occupies a few acres 

 of land, as the latter wants to work on his own farm just when 

 he is most wanted by the farmer. Mr. Haviland considers 

 that while the creation of a number of small grass holdings 

 would for a time increase the agricultural population, the 

 tenants could only make a living by paying rents which would 

 not be remunerative to the owner. 



Mr. Grant finds no general desire for small holdings, and 

 remarks that the small holder was the first to go to the w T all 

 when depression set in. " There are," he writes, " numbers of 

 holdings from 6 to 20 acres to let, and there is a difficulty in 

 finding tenants able and willing to use the land." Mr. 

 H. W. Drewitt writes: "Small holdings are not in demand 

 except near towns, and, as far as I can ascertain, landowners 

 are always ready to meet any demand, provided they can get 

 sufficient rent to cover the extra outlay required. During the 

 last few years, 20 to 25 houses with 5 to 10 acres of land 

 have been largely in request by people with a small assured 

 income who wish to live in the country, raise poultry, and 

 keep a cow or two ; if this continues it will become much more 

 difficult for the genuine small holder, whose sole income is 

 from the land, to find a small farm at a reasonable rent." 

 Mr. Chandler states that there is very great difficulty in obtain- 

 ing small holdings, for which there is a keen demand; he 



25 176 E 



