226 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



will be put to its best use," " owners will be 

 compelled by heavier rates to sell their estates, 

 and small holders will thus secure the land they 

 desire." Those of us who want to get tangible 

 and definite blessings more money in the 

 labourer's hand on Friday night, a decent 

 cottage for himself and his family, a fair rent 

 for the farmers, public ownership of land 

 we are weary of phrases largely based on mis- 

 leading analogies from British Colonies, and 

 to a large extent put forward by persons pos- 

 sessing little real knowledge of English village 

 life. One would imagine from some " single- 

 tax " speeches that everybody in the country 

 is clamouring for a small holding, and that a 

 8d. rate on the bare value of a pheasant 

 covert will transform it into allotments. 



Nobody questions the sincerity of the 

 " Land Values " politician, or his ability in 

 some cases to rouse the enthusiasm of urban 

 ratepayers ; nor are we concerned with the 

 policy as applied to urban site values. Nor, 

 again, are we discussing the goodness or bad- 

 ness of the existing Budget taxes on Land 

 Values. The present impost of |d. in the 

 on undeveloped land may appear to some as 

 taxation pour rire, and no convincing reason 

 may exist for leaving four-fifths of the incre- 

 ment value in private pockets. The only 



