96 MAULDEN 



All are enthusiastic over a system of owner- 

 ship against tenancy. They are " small owners, 

 not small-holders." The single fruit-grower 

 never seriously contemplated fruit-growing 

 before, because he had never felt secure as a 

 tenant on his former holding, which he had 

 held under the County Council. The general 

 opinion is that the small holdings so created 

 are for the most part ultimately doomed to 

 failure. Another admitted that, although he 

 had been a firm Radical all his life, he polled 

 for the other side at the last election solely 

 because of the land policy as propounded by the 

 Unionist candidate, who had favoured " occu- 

 pying ownership." Many inquiries were made 

 as to whether more land would come into the 

 market under the same system, as there were 

 a number of men in the district who were 

 anxious to purchase, but who had up to the 

 present been prevented from doing so owing 

 to the deposit which had to be found under 

 the Act. 



No co-operation for the purchase of manures, 

 seeds, and other necessaries exists. All market- 

 ing operations are undertaken individually. 

 Local markets being practically ignored, Lon- 



