SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Under this heading us notice suck Books of the week as hays not been reserved for review in other forms.] The Land, the People, and the State. By Sir Gilbert Parker. (28 Maiden Lane, W.C. is. net.)—Sir Gilbert Parker, who has been assisted by Mr. Richard Dawson, states "the Case for Small Ownership," as against the system of leasing, and does it most completely, adding a highly instructive and interesting account of the land system in other countries. Ownership is intrinsically more desirable. The owner is more likely to "stick to his job." The difficulty is the possibility of alienation for some non-agricul- tural purpose, for, say, the building of a villa or a sanatorium. Can this be barred ? As to the success of small holdings generally, however held, there are serious doubts. Everywhere the small business is going to the walL What a ruinous year this has been to the small holders of fruit-land! Here is a. balance-sheet of one such, a plot of two and a quarter acres :— Cultivation, £13; tithe and rates, £1 3s.; total, £14 5s., against a return of £5 gross or .E3 net (after deducting carriage and cost of picking). Nothing is allowed for interest on purchase-money. The uncertainty of our climate is a terrible difficulty.
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