A National Polk]). 89 



economic unit or the best way for the community to 

 organise agriculture. Until we have a great deal more 

 data we cannot find a reliable basis on which to build. 

 One of the first things we ought to set ourselves to discover 

 is the actual costs of farming operations and the 

 comparative results of different sizes of holdings. It is 

 regrettable that the beginning made by the Government 

 in setting up Costings Committees has practically been 

 abandoned. How necessary this work is, a reading of 

 the evidence led before the Royal Commission on 

 Agriculture will demonstrate. It is the most urgent branch 

 of research work. 



There are certain directions, however, in which we may 

 reasonably expect large scale holdings to show reduced 

 costs. On a 1,000 acre farm, the land could be so laid out 

 that there would be less waste of land than on 5 farms of 

 200 acres. There would be less waste of the time of men 

 and horses because the fields could be better planned. 

 One has only to travel through England and watch the 

 lay out of the fields to see the enormous waste of time 

 there must be in working badly laid-off fields. The 

 permanent equipment on one large farm would be 

 relatively less costly than on 5 smaller farms. Instead 

 of five farmers there would be one manager. With more 

 and better machinery the output could be as great from 

 the 1,000 acre farm as from the five farms, with fewer 

 men employed, or the output could be increased with the 

 same number employed. Economies could be effected in 

 buying and selling on a large scale, transport would be 

 relatively cheaper, and the organisation of labour on the 



