6 Agriculture and the Communit]). 



cannot leave the agricultural industry to be the concern 

 of those immediately engaged in it. The risk of a blockade 

 becoming effective in war-time brought home acutely to 

 the community how little it could depend on its own pro- 

 duction. It brought to a head the rather vague criticisms 

 which had been heard before the war . It began to dawn 

 on people that the most important agricultural interest was 

 that of the community and that each class engaged in it 

 must be judged by its contribution towards the national 

 welfare. The demand made upon it was for public service. 

 If the world settles down again to peaceful industry the 

 force of that demand may lessen. It is not likely, however, 

 to disappear. 



The Landowner. 



We often hear it said that there are three partners in 

 the industry of agriculture — the landowners, the farmers 

 and the wage-earners. The function of the landowner is 

 declared to be the provision of the land and its permanent 

 equipment, for which the farmer pays rent. How much 

 of this rent may be properly reckoned as payment for the 

 use of capital spent in improving and equipping the land 

 we have no means of estimating. The defenders of private 

 ownership of land would have us believe that rent is 

 nothing more than a moderate rate of interest on capital 

 expended by the landlord in this direction. Lord Ernie 

 in " English Farming Past and Present " (2nd edition, p. 

 398) says : — " Landlords spent their money liberally on 

 the up-to-date equipment of their land with houses, farm 

 buildings, cottages, drainage, fences, roads ; mainly by 

 their expenditure, directly or indirectly, prairie land has 

 been converted into agricultural land. Tenants hired the 



