1908.] Small Holdings and Allotments Acts. 597 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have addressed the 

 following circular letter dated the 1st January, 1908, (A156/C) 



to Countv Councils and County Boroughs 

 Circular as to the in E land and Wales 

 Small Holdings and 



Allotments Acts. ' j am directed by the Board of Agriculture and 



Fisheries to advert to their circular letter of the 30th 

 September last (A. 152/C) with reference to the Small Holdings and Allotments Acts 

 and to say that, as indicated therein, they are of opinion |that )the first step which 

 should be taken by your Council is to test the extent of the demand for small 

 holdings in their area. The Board would therefore be glad to know what action 

 has been taken or is proposed to be taken by your Council for this purpose, either by 

 the issue of handbills calling attention to the Act and the insertion of advertisements 

 in the local newspapers inviting applications, by inquiries , through the ^Parish 

 Councils and other allotment authorities, or by any other means. 



I am also desired to ask that you will inform the Board of the number of applica- 

 tions for land which have been received by your Council and the total quantity of 

 land applied for, and, in addition, the Board will be obliged if you will supply them 

 with copies of any forms, circulars, or other printed matter which have been issued 

 by your Council in connection with the Act. 



On the receipt of any applications for land for small 'holdings, your Council will 

 no doubt endeavour to satisfy themselves as to the qualifications.and suitability of the 

 applicants, either by personal inquiries by members of the Council or persons 

 authorised by them, or by the issue of a form setting out the points on which your 

 Council desire information. The Board think that as a general rule such inquiries 

 should be undertaken by means of. personal interviews with the applicants, and that 

 sub-committees, consisting partly of members of the Small Holdings Committee and 

 partly of members of the minor local authorities and other suitable^- persons, should be 

 appointed for this special purpose for each parish or other convenient area from which 

 applications are received. Such a method would generally be more satisfactory and 

 entail less expense than the correspondence which would be involved by the issue of 

 a form containing a detailed list of questions, which might often deter some of the 

 most suitable applicants. The Board do not think it necessary 5 to suggest to your 

 Council the particular points on which information might be sought, which will 

 necessarily vary in individual cases and in accordance with the local circumstances of 

 each county, but they think that it will as a rule be advisable to inquire whether the 

 applicants desire to be supplied with a cottage or other buildings, as the answers to 

 this question will necessarily have an important bearing on the question whether 

 your Council determine to purchase or to hire the land necessary to satisfy the demand. 



The Board suggest also for the consideration of your Council that it would be 

 very useful if information could be obtained as to the extent of the land in your 

 county which is in the possession of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the beneficed 

 clergy, Universities or Colleges, trustees of charity lands, and other public bodies or 

 corporations, and they suggest that inquiry should be made from such owners as to 

 whether they would be willing to let or sell land to your Council for the purpose of 

 providing small holdings. In this connection I am to point out that Sections 28 and 

 29 of the Act contain provisions which, at the request of the Ecclesiastical Com- 

 missioners, were inserted in order to facilitate the letting of glebe lands for small 

 holdings. 



I am further to call your attention to Section 36 of the Act which requires a County- 

 Council to appoint a small holdings and allotments committee which shall take the 

 place of the several statutory committees under the Allotments Act, 1890, and the 

 Small Holdings Act, 1892, and to inquire whether this committee has yet been set 

 up, and, if so, to ask for a list of the members and a statement showing the constitu- 



