752 



Small Holdings Act. 



[march, 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have addressed 



the following circular letter, dated 14th February, 1907, to 



^. ■ - . , ^ County Councils in Great Britain : — 

 Circular Letter to 



Local Authorities Sir,— I am directed by the Board of 

 under the Small Agriculture and Fisheries to ask you to 



^^^^^892 ^^^^ attention of your Council to the 



Report of the Departmental Committee 

 on Small Holdings {Cd. 3277), and in particular to the 

 observations contained therein with respect to the present 

 administration of the Small Holdings Act, 1892. 



The Committee made certain recommendations for the 

 amendment of the Act with the object of giving further powers 

 and wider discretion to County Councils for the provision of 

 Small Holdings. These and other proposals for legislation 

 are under the consideration of the Board, but in the meantime 

 I am to invite the attention of your Council to the suggestions 

 and recommendations made by the Committee to which effect 

 might be given under the law as it stands. 



It would appear from the Report of the Committee (para- 

 graph 23) that Section 5 of the Act has been read as providing 

 that the Small Holdings Committee of a County Council are 

 not required to take any action until they receive a petition 

 alleging that there is a demand for small holdings in a par- 

 ticular division of the county, and that the petition must refer 

 to specific lands. The Committee point out that it is the duty 

 of every Small Holdings Committee of a County Council to 

 consider whether the circumstances of the county justify the 

 Council in putting into operation Part I. of the Act, and they 

 suggest that in order to satisfy the requirements of the law 

 in this respect the Committee should on their own initiative 

 make such enquiries as may be necessary to enable them to 

 report to the Council. The Committee further point out that 

 petitions received under Section 5 (2) may be general and 

 need not refer to specific lands, and that the enquiry ordered 

 under the same section need not be a public or local one. 

 In these circumstances the Committee recommend that an 

 annual enquiry be made by the Small Holdings Committee of 

 a County Council from the minor authorities within the county, 

 as to the land occupied by small holders, and as to whether 



