CRITICISMS 93 



able to make as much out of the land as men on 

 similar holdings on similar land in other countries. 



The tenancy system undoubtedly offers certain 

 advantages of mobility — but this can also be an 

 evil, for far too often our men move on to a larger 

 farm when they would be much better off if they 

 were to remain on the small farm and develop it 

 intensively. 



To summarise a few of the advantages of owner- 

 ship : — 



(1) Incentive is given to develop the land to the 

 utmost. 



(2) The holder is dependent on his own resources 

 and must see to the proper upkeep of his buildings 

 — as every self-respecting man should do. 



(3) It calls out the latent energy and saving 

 instinct of the small holder's wife, who will certainly 

 make greater effort if she knows that each year 

 a larger proportion of the holding becomes her 

 " children's very own." 



But as I have said before, there is the striking 

 fact to be explained away by the supporters of 

 tenancy that in all countries where the agricultural 

 development is great it has been achieved under a 

 system of ownership. Further, there are at least 

 two instances in our own Dominions where the 

 settlers who were tenants promptly became 

 owners when the chance was offered to them. 

 In Austraha there existed originally a system of 

 long leasehold, but when the leaseholders were given 

 the option of purchase, most of them took advan- 

 tage of it. Again, in South Africa, after the Boer 

 War, both the leasehold and the ownership systems 

 were in force, but all settlers adopted the latter. 



