66 



Small 

 Holdings 



and 

 Allotments. 



thinks this has contributed to the decline in population, since 

 small holdings employ more labour proportionately than large 

 farms. 



BERKSHIRE. There are plenty of allotments ; many have been 

 given up and are cultivated with the larger holdings ; they do 

 not pay unless close to a town. There is said to be little 

 demand for small holdings. 



HAMPSHIRE. There is not much demand for allotments, 

 though the facilities for obtaining them appear to be adequate. 

 Mr. Perkins urges the necessity of providing them with pig- 

 styes and tool-sheds, and suggests that the rent should include 

 a sinking fund to provide for purchase. As regards small 

 holdings, Mr. Judd states that there is little demand, and that 

 all applications to the County Council have been considered 

 and granted as far as practicable. Mr. Perkins thinks the 

 supply is not equal to the demand, as there is always competi- 

 tion for a good holding. Lack of capital deters many, who 

 are otherwise eligible, from taking small holdings; it is sug- 

 gested that facilities for obtaining credit through co-operative 

 banks might solve this difficulty. 



(b.) Counties of Aottiny/iam, Leicester, Rutland, Northampton, 

 Buckingham, Oxford and Warwick. 



NOTTINGHAM. There is not much demand for allotments and 

 no difficulty in obtaining them. Mr. Smith writes : " In this 

 parish many have been given up and are occupied in 2 

 or f ')-acre lots by village shopkeepers and tradesmen ; scarcely 

 a labourer has one now, but all the cottages have gardens 

 attached." Of small holdings, Mr. Walker writes : " There is 

 a keen competition for small holdings of 10 to 40 acres, and 

 these command very often a higher rent than is justified by the 

 profit to be got out of them, except where situated close to a 

 town. There are not sufficient of these small farms to satisfy 

 the demand. The cost of putting up buildings to create such 

 holdings would be very great." 



LEICESTER. There is no difficulty in obtaining allotments. 

 Mr. Long will writes: "Allotments are in no demand here; 

 I have some on my farm and no one wants them, although 

 they are close to the village." Mr. Bassett writes: "The 

 County Council have been prepared for some years to settle any 

 difficulty, but only a few cases have occurred/' Small holdings 

 are stated to be very difficult to obtain in many villages, and 

 the rents are proportionately very much higher than those of 

 larger farms. Mr. Longwill suggests that money should be 

 advanced to landlords at a low rate of interest to enable them 

 to provide the necessary buildings; he considers that an in- 

 crease of small holdings of not less than 50 acres, or in the 

 case of good and well-situated land, 20 to 25 acres in extent, 

 would be beneficial. 



