CHAPTER VIII 



LEGISLATIVE ACTION IN FAVOUR OF SMALL HOLDINGS 



(a) The Small Holdings Acts. 



THE series of Acts aiming at the formation of small holdings 

 begins first of all with Acts for the creation of allotments. Such are 

 the Allotments Act of 1887 (50 and 51 Viet. c. 48) and the Allotments 

 Act of 1890 (53 and 54 Viet. c. 65). There follows the most significant 

 Act of the series, the Small Holdings Act of 1 892 (55 and 56 Viet. c. 3 1 ), 

 aimed exclusively at the creation of small holdings, whereas the Local 

 Government Act of 1894 (56 and 57 Viet. c. 73) is only of importance 

 as regards allotments, and therefore hardly concerns us here. Finally 

 comes the last and most important measure, the Small Holdings and 

 Allotments Act of 1907 (7 Ed. VII. c. 54), amending that of 1892, 

 and aiming at a fundamental reform of the previous methods of State 

 creation both of small tenancies and small properties. It was preceded 

 by the Report of the Departmental Committee appointed by the Board 

 of Agriculture, which sat in 1905 and 1906, and took much evidence 

 as to the results and failures of the previous Acts. This Committee 

 consisted of men of the highest qualifications as authorities on agri- 

 culture or agricultural policy, among whom were the former President 

 of the Board of Agriculture, Lord Onslow ; its present President, 

 Lord Carrington, whose services to the small holdings' movement 

 have already been mentioned ; the well-known champion of " three 

 acres and a cow," Mr Jesse Collings ; Major Craigie, the official 

 agricultural statistician ; Mr R. A. Yerburgh, M.P., the pioneer of 

 agricultural co-operation in England ; Sir F. A. Channing, and others. 

 Among the expert witnesses who appeared before it were small 

 farmers, land-agents, landlords, and various authorities on agricultural 

 policy ; but, unfortunately, no agricultural labourers. The Majority 

 Report (signed only with certain reservations by some members) was 

 presented to the President of the Board on December 10, 1906. But 



