592 



Tithe Rentcharge (Rates) Act, 1920. 



[Sept., 



and the regulations under the Defence of the Realm Act to provide that no 

 notice should be valid which purports to terminate tenancies of allotments at 

 less than six months, or some other reasonable period? 



In reply the Parliamentary Secretary stated that he was aware that a certain 

 number of allotment holders receive notices to quit from time to time, and 

 that when, as was usually the case, the land was immediately required for 

 housing or building the notice to quit was necessarily short, as every effort is 

 made to retain the land under cultivation until the latest possible date. 

 Although the need for increased food production was still urgent, he was of 

 opinion that in the general public interest the retention of land as allotments 

 could not be permitted to restrict the development of a town or to prevent the 

 erection of houses, factories, works, etc. For this reason he regretted that it 

 is not possible to adopt the suggestion contained in the last paragraph of the 

 question. (23rd July, 1920). 



Small Holding's.— In reply to a question by Mr. Cautley, the Parlia- 

 mentary Secretary to the Ministry stated that the number of agricultural 

 holdings exceeding 1 and not exceeding 50 acres in England and Wales in 

 1907, and in each succeeding year since that date was: — 



Year. 



Number. 



Year. 



Number. 



1907 



... 289,093 



1914 



... 291,722 



1908 



... 287,176 



1915 



... 289,689 



1909 



... 288,011 



1916 



... 284,153 



1910 



... 288,802 



1917 



... 278,556 



1911 



... 292,488 



1918 



... 275,334 



1912 



... 292,720 



1919 



... 272,568 



1913 



... 292,446 







(23rd July, 1920.) 



Ecclesiastical Tithe Rentcharge (Rates) Act, 1920 — This Act 

 received the Royal Assent on the 4th August. The Ministry of Health has 

 issued to Town Councils, Urban District Councils, and Overseers, a circular 

 letter enclosing copies of a memorandum with respect to the provisions of the 

 Act and of the Order of the Minister of Health prescribing a form of statutory 

 declaration as to income to be made by any incumbent who desires to claim 

 under the Act exemption from rates on the ground that the total income arising 

 from the benefice does not exceed £300, or an abatement on the ground that 

 it is between £300 and £500. 



The Circular and the Memorandum, Order and Regulations referred to in it 

 will be placed on sale, and copies may shortly be obtained, either directly or 

 through any bookseller, from His Majesty's Stationery Office at the following 

 addresses: — Imperial House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2, 28, Abingdon 

 Street, London, S.W.I, 37, Peter Street, Manchester, and 1, St. Andrew's 

 Crescent, Cardiff. 



Forms of statutory declaration for the use of incumbents will no doubt be 

 printed by various local government publishers and will shortly be pur- 

 chasable from them. It should, however, be clearly understood that they will 

 not be supplied by His Majesty's Stationery Office or any other Government 

 Department. 



