Failure of 1908 Act 



In general terms, County Councils have 

 not realized their opportunity of developing 

 the Act into a great movement for building 

 up the rural population, but rather have 

 contented themselves with administering the 

 Act along the lines of least resistance. Very 

 few county councillors have devoted time to 

 the serious study of the question, or have 

 ascertained under what conditions successful 

 land settlement has been achieved in other 

 countries ; therefore, as at present com- 

 posed, the County Council Small Holdings 

 Committees are not properly qualified to 

 deal efficiently with the matter. In no case 

 have men been placed on the land under 

 rightly devised conditions. This side of 

 the question will be dealt with in the next 

 chapter. Even if the work of providing 

 applicants with allotments, and providing 

 additional land for existing small holders, 

 may reasonably be left to the County Coun- 

 cils, it is not reasonable to place upon their 

 already over-burdened shoulders the work 

 of devising and administering a great Land 

 Settlement Scheme ; this must be under the 

 control of men who have studied the problem. 



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