THE RURAL PROBLEM 49 



itself the owner of all the worst land, as this is what the land- 

 lords would be most anxious to sell. To avoid this, the Com- 

 mission should be able to refuse to purchase unless the area 

 is, in their opinion, suitable for reletting successfully. For 

 instance, scattered small holdings arc of less value than one 

 area of small holdings which can be grouped together for 

 purposes of co-operation. Therefore the Commission, if 

 asked to buy one small holding, should be able to refuse until 

 — either by use of their compulsory powers or by the landlord 

 yielding — they could obtain a sufficient area for several. 



There would be no difficulty in administering the land 

 either by the local authorities or by the Land Commissioners 

 themselves. They would in some cases hold it and work it 

 by an agent, as other landowners do ; but more frequently 

 they would let it off for long periods, either in small holdings 

 or in larger areas, retaining the power of redemption and 

 guaranteeing a full compensation for improvements.* 



In answer to the fear of the financial magnitude of the 

 above proposals, it is sufficient to point out that the nationali- 

 sation of the whole of the land of the country at once — which 

 is not what is proposed — -would not be a much bigger opera- 

 tion than the late Lord Goschen's Conversion of the National 

 Debt. 



As in the case of many of the Irish landlords, payment 

 would be made with guaranteed land stock. The owners of 

 the London Docks were similarly paid with Port of London 

 stock, and man} 7 of the shareholders in the old water com- 

 panies were compensated by receiving Water Board stock. 



Private ownership of land has so long been tolerated by 

 public opinion that it is only fair to the present owners that 

 they should be bought outright, if they are displaced ; at 

 the same time, to buy the land at the sentimental value at 

 present attached to it would be a very bad bargain for the 

 community. The direct purchase of land by the Commis- 



* " I have let over 7,000 acres in allotments and small holdings during 

 the last five years. I have improved and adapted 28 existing houses, 

 and built over 80 new smallholders' houses, and forty-four new sets of 

 buildings have been provided, while, as the result of improved manage- 

 ment and judicious economy, the net income from the property has 

 increased by £10,000 a year " (from a speech by Earl Carrington, now 

 Lord Lincolnshire, when he was President of the Board of Agriculture). 



