1907.] Small Holdings on Crown Lands. 



279 



It may be remarked that in several instances the Crown 

 farm tenants occupied farms belonging to other land owners 

 in addition to their Crown farms. It will be observed that 

 out of a total area of 60,363 acres, the letting of small holdings 

 by the Crown numbered 44, which includes four small holdings 

 let not to small holders but to farmers who held other land 

 in addition. On the other hand, in certain cases parts of the 

 larger farms were sub-let by the Crown tenants as small holdings 

 at enhanced rents. 



The principal object of the transfer to the President of the 

 Board of the management of these lands was to inaugurate 

 a different policy to that hitherto adopted in their manage- 

 ment, and to encourage the establishment of small holdings 

 wherever possible. To attain that object Lord Carrington 

 considered it essential that the agents and receivers for this 

 property should not only be in full sympathy with the policy 

 but should also have complete practical knowledge of the 

 adaptation of land for small holdings, and a thorough experi- 

 ence of the management of that class of tenants. In these 

 circumstances, the Lords of the Treasury have appointed 

 Messrs. J. Carter Jonas and Sons, of No. 8a, Whitehall Place, 

 London, and Cambridge, as agents or Crown receivers for the 

 estates so transferred. 



The general instructions given to the new Crown receivers 

 are that they should promote in every way practicable the 

 establishment of small holdings and discourage the consolida- 

 tion of the farms in their management. They have therefore 

 been informed that opportunity should be given to parish 

 councils and other local authorities to rent any lands within 

 their jurisdiction which may become vacant or which can be 

 obtained from the existing tenants by mutual agreement, 

 and that wherever possible every cottage tenant on the 

 Crown property should be allotted at a fair rent a piece of 

 land commensurate with his means, beginning with not less 

 than 20 poles or a quarter of an acre. Lord Carrington wishes 

 the labourers on the Crown estates to understand that if 

 they prove satisfactory tenants of such allotments they will 

 be given the opportunity to hire more land from the Crown 

 should they desire to increase their holdings. 



At the same time he desires to make it clear that no whole- 



