HC Deb 22 February 1892 vol 1 cc896-8
MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has, or can procure, the necessary information to enable him to state how many Rural Sanitary Authorities in England and Wales have acquired, by voluntary arrangement under the powers given to them by "The Allotments Act, 1887," any land by purchase or on lease or any other tenancy, and how many acres have been so acquired by each Authority, and how many allotment tenants hold such land as tenants of each Authority?

* THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE, Tower Hamlets, St. George's)

I am unable to give the information asked for without obtaining Returns from various Local Sanitary Authorities. The hon. Gentleman, no doubt, desires to obtain information as to the total number of allotments provided since the passing of the Act of 1887; but the Return so desired would not give the information sought for, as by far the larger number of allotments have been provided by voluntary agreement between owners of land and the labourers. My right hon. Friend the President of the Agricultural Department is considering the desirability of obtaining a Return which will include the information desired by the hon. Gentleman, as well as the particulars of the total number of allotments, and that, I think, will meet the wishes of the hon. Gentleman.

MR. COBB

May I ask the Minister of Agriculture when he thinks that Return will be ready?

MR. CHAPLIN

I am afraid not for three or four months.

MR. CHANNING (Northampton, E.)

Arising out of the question of the Member for the Rugby Division, I would ask the President of the Local Government Board if he can see his way to accepting the Motion I have put on the Paper for a Return including the Urban Authorities, which I have accidentally omitted?

* MR. RITCHIE

I thought in all probability that what it was desired to do was to obtain information as to the total number of allotments which are in the occupation of labourers, and the Return which my right hon. Friend is considering will, I believe, be more acceptable to the hon. Gentleman than the extremely partial Return for which he has moved.

MR. CHANNING

I would ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is not as anxious as we are to obtain information as to the acquisition of land under this specific Act passed for that purpose by the House of Commons?

* MR. RITCHIE

I attach no importance whatever as to whether or not the allotments were provided by the operation of the Sanitary Authority; but what we do attach importance to is that the allotments should be obtained, and I would point out to the hon. Gentleman that the object of the Allotments Act was to provide machinery for obtaining them, if owners of land could not themselves enter into voluntary arrangement with the labourers who desired to have them.

MR. CHANNING

Do I understand that the form of Return I have moved for is definitely refused by Her Majesty's Government?

* MR. RITCHIE

I shall be very glad to have some conversation with the hon. Gentleman on the subject; but considering that that would be a very partial Return, I am pointing out that it would by no means show the operation of the, Act of 1887.

MR. COBB

Let me quite understand. Will the right hon. Gentleman, before the Return of the Minister of Agriculture, which will take three or four months, is produced, give us a smaller Return of the number of allotments acquired under the Act, not compulsorily, but voluntarily since 1887?

* MR. RITCHIE

The answer to the question of the hon. Gentleman is covered by my reply to the hon. Member for Northamptonshire.