42 



There are, however two Acts of 1909 which are likely to be 

 of considerable importance to agriculture. 



The first of these, the Housing, Town Planning Act, 1909 (9 Ed. 

 VII c. 44), is divided into four parts. Part I so far as it may affect 

 the supply of houses for agricultural labourers alone requires no- 

 tice. Section i extends Part III of the Housing of the Working 

 Classes, 1890 (53 and 54 Vic. c. 30), which enables local autho- 

 rities to provide dwellings for the working classes in districts where 

 there is, by the failure of private enterprise or from other causes, 

 a dearth of accomodation, to every urban or rural district. 



The second new Act of Parliament which requires notice is the 

 Development and Road Improvement Funds Act, 1909 (9 Ed. 7 

 c. 47). It enables, by Section i, the Treasury, upon the recommen- 

 dation of Development Commissioners appointed under the Act, to 

 make advances to a Government department, or through a Govern- 

 ment department, to a public authority, university, college, school, 

 or institution, or an association of persons or company not trading 

 for profit, either by way of grant or by way of loan, for any of the 

 following purposes: 



a) aiding and developing agriculture and rural industries by 

 promoting scientific research, instruction and experiments in science, 

 methods and practice of agriculture (including the provision of farm 

 institutes), the organisation of co-operation, instruction in marketing 

 produce, and the extension of provision of small holdings, and by 

 the adoption of other means; 



b) forestry (including (I) the conducting of inquiries, experi- 

 ments and research for the purpose of promoting forestry and the 

 teaching of methods of afforestation ; (II) the purchase and planting 

 of land found after inquiry to be suitable for afforestation) ; 



c) the reclamation and drainage of land; 



d) the general improvement of rural transport (including the 

 making of light railways, but not including the construction or im- 

 provement of roads). 



H. M. V. The Development Act, 1909. The Gardener s Chro- 

 nicle, no. 3621, p. 336. London, May 2ist, 1910. 



The Development Act of 1909 is intended to provide certain 

 machinery for aiding and developing: a) Agriculture and rural in- 

 dustries ; d) Forestry ; c) the reclamation and drainage of land ; 

 d) the general improvement of rural transport; e) the construction 



