ITS LESSONS AND ITS WARNINGS 83 



Referring to the 12 million acres of poor and 

 unproductive much of it useless grass land in 

 England and Wales, the cost of 1000 acres of 

 this, and of dividing and adapting it for the pur- 

 pose of small ownerships may be estimated 



approximately as follows : 







(1) 1000 acres of grass land at 15 an acre . . 15,000 



(2) Adapting it for 50 small holdings (including 

 buildings) from 3 to 50 acres (say) 30s. an acre 1,500 



(3) 50 cottages at 200 each .... 10,000 



(4) Contingencies ...... 400 



(5) Advances to the small owners to begin cultiva- 

 tion, say 100 each 5,000 



Total outlay of the State for 1000 acres . . . 31,900 



As to the first item in the foregoing estimate, 

 15 an acre is a high price for grass land now let 

 at an average rent of about 9s. an acre. If the 

 land taken has a mixed cultivation a higher 

 price would be paid for the arable portion of it, 

 as the expense of adapting it would be saved. 

 With regard to the second item, the existing 

 hedges would be utilized in dividing the land. 

 As to the third, if, as is probable, there are cot- 

 tages already existing on the land, the number 



ment loans, with interest and sinking fund, repayable 

 by the purchasers by annual instalments. 



