It may already be said that Mr. Lloyd George's land
policy has fallen flat. The subject is much too com- plicated for a mere townsman to set forth his views, but it is obvious that one of the most serious problems to-day is how to colonize our own soil. When I read in the papers recently that four thousand British emigrants had sailed in one day for Canada, I asked myself whether this exodus was an unmixed blessing. A blessing it certainly is from the standpoint of Canada, but when one recalls that a large proportion of these emigrants arc leaving the English countryside, one cannot but wonder whether the Old Land is, after all, benefiting by the transaction. Have we so many land-workers that we can dispense" With them.? What will happen if the present depletion of our countryside continues ? Here are some figures to think about. In 1918 there were 12,809,000 acres of la,nd under cultivation of cereals in England and Wales. By 192_15_ the tad- had dwindled to 10,680,000. In 1918 we had 2,557;06%acres of land growing wheat. In 1925 the total had dropi)ed to 1,499,000. Till we come to grips with the problem of "back to the land" we cannot pretend to have profited by our War-time experience. * *
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