14 JUNE 1935, Page 22

Land Settlement

Can Land Settlement Solve Unemployment ? By George Herbert. (Allen and Unwin. 3s. 6d.) LET us see first what answer Mr. Herbert gives to his question. For £100,000,000 a hundred thousand holdings of different types could be established which would give permanent employment to 140,000 agricultural workers and their families, and would indirectly employ (mainly in building) 231,000 men for a year. It is estimated, too, that the settlers would produce over sixty million pounds worth of produce a year, which might increase the general employment throughout the country by 100,000 people. The schemes suggested would allow for a payment of 4 per cent. on the capital involved in interest and sinking fund charges, and save £14,000,000 a year (or 14 per cent. on the capital expenditure) in unemploy- ment benefit. Mr. Herbert adds that if the consumption of the items of farm produce concerned were doubled by means of better marketing and publicity " these figures would also be doubled, and concludes that " owing to over 2,000,000 people being out of work in this country land settlement cannot entirely solve unemployment, but it offers greater possibilities than any other policy."

The book, of which this is the general conclusion, is an extremely valuable contribution to a difficult subject on which general knowledge is limited, and ought to be extended. The ordinary man's knowledge of the subject comes approxi- mately to this : that under the pre-War system of small- holding settlement good work was done on a fair scale ; that under the post-War Act less work was done, and at a loss ; that there has been practically nothing done since ; that in spite of every effort agricultural employment has been de- clining steeply, and the number of agricultural holdings has also been declining ; but that now a Land Settlement Associa- tion has been formed, needing money in order to implement a small offer on the pound for pound basis made by the Govern- ment, which is getting to work in settling carefully selected groups of unemployed miners in new districts. It is generally appreciated also that, within limits, the smaller and more specialized a holding is, the less likely 'it is to be run at a loss, though even specialized holdings should not have all their eggs in one basket ; and that in spite of marketing schemes co-operative marketing by groups of holders is still in its infancy.

All this Mr. Herbert confirms, giving facts and figures very fully. He then breaks new ground with a survey of the economic position of varying types of holdings and of the facilities for production in the exporting countries, concluding that it would be advisable to consider the increased pro- duction in the United Kingdom of pig and poultry products, and dairy and market garden produce in preference to cereals,• beef, mutton and lamb. And if increased production were concentrated on these lines he thinks that there would be little danger of affecting our export,trade or the cost of living, and that more specialized production and better grading, packing and marketirig might be just as helpful to producers as tariffs and quotas. Incidentally, he finds as the result of visits to several hundred holdings that -the most successful tenants were those N. 110 possesSed little agricultural experience when they took Over their-holdings, and had an open mind. And he is evidently 'quite confieent that there are tens of thousands of men of middle age in the districts of serious un- employment who have had experience on allotments, and within a few years will have had further experience in the group holdings (quarter more) now being established, who would make ideal land settlers.

Much of this is matter of opinion, though the opinions expressed appear to be securely based, and the most valuable part of the book is the thirty pages devoted to a very careful examination of seven different types of holdings. They are the 1-acre market-garden glasshouse holding, the 2-acre glass- house poultry holding, 5-acre holdings of two types, one market garden-poultry, and the other adding pigs, the 20. acre family farm, the 50-acre milked dairy farm, and the 5-acre poultry-pig holding. And the remarkable conclusion is reached that all of them, except the last, could, generally in groups of 50, be established on a self-supporting basis if un- employment benefit were given for from six to twelve months. It is a very expert and difficult matter to judge the soundness

of this, but an example may be given by which those who have expert knowledge may test it. The 5-acre market garden- poultry holding is assumed to have 3 acres vegetables, j acre small fruit, and 1i acres for poultry ; the poultry developing from 250 chicks and 10 adult birds to start with to 500 hens in the third year. The income is assumed to be—in the first 3 years, from vegetables 190, £150, £150 ; from poultry (assuming 100 laying birds for six months in the first year) £35, £210, 1350 ; and small fruit brings in £30 in the third year. The expenses are—rent and rates £35 a year, loan charges on stock and equipment £22 after the first year, group settlement charges £25 annually, manure- and seeds, —, £25, £25 ; poultry food 135, £150, £250 ; packing mate- rials and incidentals £10, £20, £20. And the annual profit for the three years on this calculation is £20, £83, £153. To complete the picture it is assumed that the house costs £350, land £150, fencing, &c., and shed £45, the rent being based, therefore on 1.545 ; and that the stock, seeds, glass-frames and manures cost £90, and that no horse or mechanical cultivation or transport is allowed for the individual holding, their costs being covered by the group settlement charges.

This is detailed, but details are of the essence of the eco- nomics of small holdings, and it is only if they are soundly calculated and can be worked out without involving heavy capital losses that a progressive land settlement policy can be justified. Such tests as it has been possible to apply show that Mr. Herbert has estimated soundly, and has brought all essential factors into his calculations. As to pace he wisely suggests practical experiment before final conclusions are drawn ; and as to agency not the Ministry of Agriculture and not the County Councils, but something on the lines of the Land Settlement Association but bigger. In fact, the book suggests a sound, detailed and practical basis for a main part of the policy of a major statesman with whom sound detail is not supposed to be a strong point. He contributes a foreword.

FRANCIS ACLAND.