SMALL HOLDINGS 187 



for his country cottage. It cannot be denied 

 that up till now either the temptation to 

 realize has proved irresistible (as is already 

 proving the case in Ireland), or, on the 

 holding coming into the market at the death 

 of the owner, it has been bought at a price 

 prohibitive to the small agriculturist." 



One of the main obstacles with which the 

 small-holder is confronted in this country is 

 the great rise in the price of agricultural land, 

 which almost invariably accompanies any 

 demand for private land in the common 

 interest. By a grave omission in the Small 

 Holdings Act of 1907, no limit was placed on 

 the number of years' purchase when land is 

 acquired for public authority. The result 

 has been that the valuers, who, as a class, are 

 largely identified with the interests of property, 

 have in many cases awarded values which 

 have either rendered the acquisition of the 

 land impracticable for small holdings purposes 

 or heavily handicapped the small-holders by 

 unreasonable rent-charges. A farm of 153 

 acres was purchased by the County Council 

 of Shropshire. The price of this farm at 

 twenty-five years' purchase would have been 

 30 and at thirty years' purchase 36 per 

 acre : the price allowed by the valuer was 

 42 ! Another farm of 110 acres would, at 



