THE SMALL HOLDINGS ACT 



53 



intensive methods of cultivation — it will surprise 

 no one that the number of small holders in this 

 country is decreasing slowly but steadily. With a 

 view to checking this movement the Government 

 brought in the Small Holdings Act, but its results 

 have not been very satisfactory. The number of 

 new holdings created under this Act is 17,000. 

 This has taken seven years, has cost over £4,000,000 

 and entailed an enormous expenditure of time and 

 energy on the part of all the County Councils. 



No. 18. Permanent Grass and Stock-keeping 



But an analysis of the figures shows even a more 

 unsatisfactory result. Out of these 17,000 by far 

 the larger proportion are tradesmen who have been 

 provided with accommodation land (that is, an odd 

 field or two of grass to keep a horse or cow upon), 

 or existing holders have had a few acres added to 

 their land. 



All this I am quite wilHng to admit is to the 

 good, but the cold truth is that the number of 

 bona fide new settlers created under the Act is 



