THE POSITION AT HOME 71 



The " Back to the Land " Movement. 



Various schemes in regard to the conditions under which 

 land should be held by cultivators in this country are now 

 under discussion, and the problem of tenancy (whether under 

 private or public authorities) versus peasant proprietary is 

 engaging considerable attention. 



Here, however, we are concerned only in the fact that, 

 whether the producers settled, or about to settle, on the land 

 are owners or only tenants of their holdings, it will be 

 equally necessary that they should be enabled to raise, 

 consign and market their produce under the most favourable 

 conditions ; and, speaking generally, it will be impossible 

 for them to do this without the help of co-operation. 



Much has been heard about settling more people on the 

 land through the action of the State. If the people so settled 

 propose to do no more than raise supplies for their own 

 consumption they may do so with complete success. If they 

 propose to raise supplies for sale, and if, in doing this, they 

 remain individual units, each paying an unduly high price 

 for his necessaries, consigning otherwise than at the lowest 

 railway rates, and selling under such conditions that the 

 chances will be all against him, then the result of the State 

 experiment may be little less than a complete failure. 



Shortcomings of State Aid. 



In addition to encouraging more people to settle on the 

 land the State has at different times given much active 

 support to agricultural research with a view to increasing 

 and improving production ; but increased production for 

 sale is not of much use without adequate opportunities for 

 successful distribution of the commodities produced, and 

 hefe the action of the State has stopped short. 



It may well be said that marketing is not the work of the 

 State, and that there would be difficulties in the way of the 

 State undertaking it. But the shortcomings of State action 

 in this respect can well be made good by the efforts of an 

 independent organising body, able to act without the dis- 



