78 



Small 

 Holdings 



and 

 Allotments. 



the County Council for a holding of this description. There 

 would be no difficulty either in procuring land for small 

 holdings (5 to 25 acres), as landowners would willingly put 

 land at the disposal of suitable applicants for this purpose. 

 But the difficulty is in providing the necessary buildings. 

 In view of the cost of erecting buildings adapted to modern 

 requirements, and the large remissions of rent granted in 

 recent years by landowners, the latter have not the means to 

 provide for the outlay ; moreover, the inadequate money return 

 does not encourage such outlay." 



PEMBROKE. There is stated to be no difficulty in obtaining 

 land. Cottages, however, almost without exception, have gar- 

 dens large enough to occupy the workmen's spare time and to 

 supply all the vegetables required except, perhaps, potatoes, 

 and these can be grown in the farmer's field by arrange- 

 ment, or, in the case of regular labourers, are supplied as 

 a customary part of the yearly hiring bargain. There 

 are also, Mr. Richards states, a considerable number of 

 small holdings scattered throughout the district, but the 

 demand for them is nothing like that for farms of 100 to 200 

 acres and upwards by farmers' sons. He writes : " Nearly 

 all these (the small farms) and some of our largest farms 

 up to 300 acres are occupied by men who began life as 

 farm servants, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, &c. Most 

 are doing well, and in many cases are more progressive and 

 enterprising than some of the hereditary farmers of the neigh- 

 bourhood. It is doubtful, however, if the small occupiers are 

 in a much better position than the good workman who has 

 remained an agricultural labourer. As farm servants they 

 accumulated a small hoard which enabled them to take a small 

 farm. But their sons and daughters generally have to begin 

 life as farm servants or are sent to learn a trade of some sort 

 and are thus no better off than the children of the regular 

 agricultural labourer." 



RADNOR. Mr. Lewis states that great difficulty is experienced 

 in his district in obtaining small holdings or allotments, and 

 if land is obtainable it is often of such a nature as to be worth- 

 less for the purpose required. "To my knowledge," he writes, 

 " there are a number of industrious working men who would 

 make ideal managers of small holdings if they could get them. 

 I may say the majority of farmers in this part of the county 

 employ single men who board and sleep on the premises, con- 

 sequently, when they get married they have to go to the coal 

 pits or public works, or drift into the towns; when such men 

 are able to get a small farm, they work it themselves and train 

 up their children in thrift and knowledge of agriculture. If 

 the country districts are to retain these men it must be by 

 giving them a chance of becoming small farmers themselves 

 by putting a stop to farms being hitched one on to another." 



