1909.] Co-operation in Tenure of Small Holdings. 355 



community. It is not directly interested in the actual pro- 

 motion of small holdings. In regard to this question it 

 occupies a neutral position ; but it recognises that the welfare 

 and success of small holdings largely rest on the adoption 

 of co-operative methods, and the introduction of such methods 

 comes within the scope of its main objects. When the Small 

 Holdings and Allotments Act of 1907 was passed, the Society 

 realised that an opportunity was given under two clauses 

 for extending its work in this direction. Already, in the 

 Act of 1892, there existed a clause which enabled County 

 Councils to let land to a co-operative society, the members of 

 which were actual cultivators. It was, however, a matter of 

 dispute whether this merely applied to a society farming the 

 land co-operatively or whether the Agricultural Organisation 

 Society could promote co-operation amongst small holders by 

 persuading would-be applicants to form a society and apply to 

 the County Council, as a body, for land. 



Under the new Act this matter was made clear, and such 

 powers were further extended in an important way. The 

 County Council is now empowered to let land to any society, 

 co-operative or otherwise, formed to promote small holdings 

 and not working for unlimited profit (i.e., as long as it is 

 not a mere speculating land company), the members of which 

 need not necessarily be cultivators. Further than this, by a 

 special new clause, the County Council may promote the for- 

 mation of and assist co-operative societies having for one of 

 their objects the provision and profitable working of small 

 holdings. 



Any County Council, therefore, has full power under the 

 Act if it so wishes to carry out any desire of its applicants to 

 start from the first on an organised co-operative basis. One 

 would have expected, knowing the difficulties and complica- 

 tions of dealing with many individual applicants unknown to 

 members of the Small Holdings Committee, that it would 

 have taken more steps to advise such organisation among 

 its applicants. It may well be that, owing to the many 

 duties they already have to discharge in an honorary capacity, 

 the members of County Councils have felt that they could not 

 add to these the task of organising applicants, however much 

 this might in the long run lighten their subsequent duties. 



C C 2 



