LAND ALLOTMENTS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THY " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Both parties in the State appear to agree that allot- ments of land to the poor are so desirable, that if they dt not come into existence by the natural action of demand and supply, Acts of Parliament should be passed to create a supply wherever there is a demand. In our village we have allot- ments under an Inclosure Act, with a rent-charge based on the agricultural value, and varying with the price of cereals- There are no fences to maintain ; there were no costs of acquisition. The most ingenious Act of Parliament cannot supply at a lower price. The land is good and well situated. All the allotments are taken and cultivated, and there is a demand for more. It is, nevertheless, a fact that the owner does not, and cannot, receive the rent-charge, and the allot- ments are really rent-free. This experience will make our village refuse to adopt an Act of Parliament giving power to create allotments, and I send this for the benefit of villages which have no experience. The owner knows, and everybody knows, that it is legal to retake the land and drive a plough through the allotments, but all that is legal is not practicable.
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