Details are given in Monday's Morning Post of an interest-
ing experiment which is about to be made by the Duke of Bedford with a view to enabling agricultural labourers to become freeholders. Four hundred and fifty acres of land, partly arable and partly pasture, near Ampthill, in Bedford- shire, have been set apart for the experiment, and divided into holdings of from one to forty-three acres. These will be dis- posed of on a rent-purchase system, under which the purchasers will pay yearly instalments fixed according to an actuarial calculation by which at the end of thirty-five years they will become absolute freeholders. No deposit will be required of the tenants, but, except in the case of one-acre allotments, they will be required to show that they have some small amount of capital at their disposal,—e.g , if a man wants four acres, the sum is fixed at £15. The only restriction imposed is that the land must never be used for any other purpose than agriculture or horticulture,—the intention being to prevent the land from being built on by speculative builders. Lastly, men who take holdings of ten acres and upwards will if they wish have money advanced up to a maximum of £500 for building houses and homesteads. It is expected that market gardening will be the staple industry of the tenants, as it already is of the district.
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