Mr. Chaplin, as Minister of Agriculture, on Monday intro- duced
the long-expected Small Holdings Bill. His speech was remarkably lucid, and his plan has diffused a kind of universal satisfaction, which will affect the elections. The Government make only an experiment, but it is a bold one. The Bill allows each rural County Council to raise at 31- per cent. a sum equal to ld. in the pound of rating, the total for Great Britain being ten millions. With this sum the Council is to buy land from willing sellers, and resell it in small holdings of not less than one acre, or more than fifty. Any one may buy a holding outright, or may deposit one-fourth of its value, and pay up the remainder by instalments spread over fifty years. Also, if he wants less than ten acres, he may hire them on ten-year leases, with option of purchase. Buyer is to put up the buildings he needs ; but if the Council thinks fit, it can do this for him, adding the cost to the price. For reasons stated elsewhere, we doubt any grand success for this plan ; but it is a reasonable, thoughtful, and bold one. The Glad- stonians accept it, but wish to add a clause compelling land- lords to sell ; but they will recede from that. They do not wish to be deserted by their remaining Peers and large land- owners. There is a weak point in the Bill, the largeness of the fraction to be paid down, and they will probably fight round that.
