40 THE POLICY OF THE PLOUGH 



Germany has proved to us the immense value of 

 her *' policy of the plough." If she had not intro- 

 duced it twenty years ago she would long since have 

 been a beaten country in this war. 



HE WHO WILLS THE END WILLS THE MEANS 



In the Majority Report (Part II) on the employment 

 of sailors and soldiers on the land various recommen- 

 dations are made which are excellent in themselves. 

 It is quite possible that if time were no consideration 

 the reforms proposed would transform agriculture. 

 We all desire that there should be more amenities in 

 village life — clubs, libraries, places of entertainment 

 for groups of villages — much better cottages, easier 

 means of borrowing capital, better methods of trans- 

 port, and more scientific agricultural education. But 

 the vital question for us at the moment, after all, is 

 whether the agricultural labourer has got to wait for 

 the slow processes of time to bring him all the condi- 

 tions and the better wages which would place his 

 industry on the level of other skilled trades. The 

 signatories of the Majority Report say in effect that 

 nothing can be done till after the war. The Minority 

 Bay that something must be done now or the golden 

 opportunity will be lost. It is not only the farmer 

 who wants confidence. It is just as necessary to 

 inspire the working-man with confidence that agricul- 

 ture is a good enough occupation for him to adopt. 



This is the essential point. We cannot afford to 

 wait. Our problem is unlike that which Germany 



