§ COMMANDER BETHELL (York, E.R.,) Holderness; I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if, in any future agricultural leases granted by the Crown, he will take care that power is reserved to withdraw from Crown tenants such lands as may be required by a Local Authority for the purposes of allotments?
§ * THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON, Leeds, N.)It is a common, though not invariable, practice at the present time to insert in Crown leases of agricultural land a clause for resuming possession of part of the land, or in some instances the1 whole, making compensation and a reduction of rent to the tenant. But it would be prejudicial to the interests of the land revenues to give an assurance that such a provision as mentioned in. the question shall always be inserted.
§ In reply to a further question by Commander BETHELL,
§ * MR. JACKSONsaid: I am afraid it might prove injurious to the Crown Revenues if the power which the hon. and gallant Member suggests were inserted in Crown leases. I believe that the object of the hon. and gallant Gentleman is, as far as possible, to provide that land shall be at the disposal of the Local Authority for allotments, and with that object the Treasury are entirely in sympathy.
§ COMMANDER BETHELLWhy should not the Crown property be subject to the provisions of the Act of 1887 as well as other property?
§ * MR. JACKSONIf my hon. and gallant Friend wishes to put a further question, he had better place it on the Paper.