§ MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)asked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether any Sanitary Authorities have submitted for the confirmation of the Board, under "The Labourers' Allotments Act, 1887," a Regulation restricting the cultivation to spade labour and prohibiting the use of the plough; whether the model Regulations issued by the Local Government Board suggest any such restriction or prohibition; whether any Sanitary Authorities have submitted for confirmation a Regulation providing that no person shall hold more than one acre of land altogether, including the acreage of any allotment already held by such person; whether sub-section 3 of section 885 8 of the Act allows a Sanitary Authority to let to any one person one acre of land in addition to the acreage of any allotment already held by such person; and, whether the Local Government Board will refuse to confirm such restrictive Regulations.
§ THE PRESIDENT (Mr. RITCHIE) (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)In some instances Sanitary Authorities have submitted Regulations under the Labourers' Allotments Act, 1887, which would restrict the cultivation of the allotments provided by them to spade labour. The model Regulations issued by the Local Government Board do not suggest such a restriction. In some cases Sanitary Authorities have submitted Regulations which provide that a person who, at the time of applying to the Sanitary Authority for an allotment, already holds an allotment, either from the Sanitary Authority or otherwise, shall not be tenant of an allotment the area of which, together with the area of any allotments already held by him, would exceed one acre in extent. Sub-section 3 of section 7 of the Act provides that a person shall not hold any allotment or allotments acquired under the Act exceeding one acre; and it would be competent for the Sanitary Authority so to frame their Regulations that a person might hold from them one acre of land in addition to the acreage of any allotments otherwise held by him. The Board do not consider, however, that, under ordinary circumstances, such a restriction as that referred to would be unreasonable; but before confirming any such Regulation they will, of course, consider any objections which may be made by persons locally interested.