NECESSITY OF LARGE EXPENDITURE 163 



Under this scheme of gradually rising rents the 

 tenancy rent card would clearly state the annual 

 increase. Should one tenant replace another, he 

 would pay the current rent. 



Security of tenure, irrespective of employer, but 

 subject to " good neighbourship " and payment of 

 rent, would be enjoyed by every tenant. This would 

 mean that State money could not be used for building 

 those cottages for stockmen and other special hands 

 which are part of a farm's equipment, and which 

 must remain tied cottages. Owners would neces- 

 sarily continue to supply these " official residences " 

 as they have been termed. 



We are well aware that this plan of asking the 

 State to defray the excess of the cost of building in 

 the near future, over the normal cost of building, 

 not to mention the expenses of the period during 

 which the disparity in rents is being reduced or re- 

 moved, would involve a large amount of money. 

 Suppose that the bonus granted for each cottage 

 reached £70 and 200,000 cottages were required. 

 The total capital grant on which the State would 

 receive no interest would be £14,000,000 — ^the cost 

 of conducting the war for a period of three days. 

 We cannot be charged with disguising the fact that 

 this is a large demand. We ask the country to face 

 it. If agriculture is to meet our requirements, and 

 make us safe as a nation, we must have the men on 

 the land ; and the men must have cottages to Hve 

 in ; and the cottages cannot be built in any other 

 way. The syllogism is inevitable and unanswerable. 



We have considered the question of using military 



