SMALL HOLDINGS 185 



land which will ultimately become public 

 property. 



On the other hand, the advocates of tenancy 

 possess a formidable array of arguments 

 based not only on future contingencies, but 

 past experience. In reply to the undoubted 

 fact that present tenants are really purchasing 

 the land for the county and not for them- 

 selves, they point out that the very small 

 sum involved in this gradual purchase is not 

 an excessive acknowledgment for the use of 

 cheap public money by a small section of the 

 community ; and further that ultimately 

 the effect of public ownership will naturally 

 be the reduction of rents. 



Further, inasmuch as all existing proposals 

 for ownership involve the necessity of a 

 money deposit and it is difficult to see how 

 this could be dispensed with the available 

 capital of the applicant would, it is maintained, 

 be more usefully employed in stocking his 

 small farm than in bringing about the ultimate 

 purchase of the holding fifty years hence for 

 a son or grandson. The tenant's security of 

 tenure is equally good with that of the pros- 

 pective owner, and he possesses the enormous 

 advantage of being able at any time to leave 

 his holding by reason of failure, change of plans 

 or any other vicissitude which may arise. 



