HC Deb 05 April 1911 vol 23 cc2187-9
Mr. JARDINE

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, what was the total number of allotments of under one acre in England and Wales?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir E. Strachey)

The following statement will, I think, supply the information desired by the hon. Member so far as regards land held for allotments by local authorities in England and Wales:—

Area owned. Area leased. Total. No. of persons holding allotments.
a. r. p. a. r. p. a. r. p.
5,687 3 11 21,076 3 34 26,764 3 5 90,550; 21 associations and committee.

We have no recent information as to allotments of land held, as such, under private ownership, but the Agricultural Returns of 1910 showed that the total number of agricultural holdings above one acre, and not exceeding five acres, was 90,663.

Mr. JARDINE

asked whether the quantity of land acquired or agreed to be acquired (referred to in column 4 of the table supplied on the 13th of March, 1911) is the total land acquired or agreed to be acquired for small holdings up to 31st December, 1910, under The Small Holdings Act, 1908, since the Act came into operation?

Sir E. STRACHEY

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a similar question on 22nd March.

Mr. JARDINE

asked what proportion, or thereabouts, of the agricultural land of England and Wales is rented, owned, mainly rented, and mainly owned, respectively, by the occupiers of such land; what proportion, or thereabouts, of the agricultural land of Denmark, France, and the German Empire is, respectively, rented and owned by the occupiers of such land; and whether facilities will be given for the passing into law of the Land Purchase Bill and the Small Holdings Bill now before Parliament, under the first of which it is proposed that the State shall loan to farmers the whole of the capital with which to purchase their holdings when they are for sale, or the farmers are dispossessed, and under the second of which it is proposed to loan to suitable would-be small holders the whole of the money with which to purchase holdings for cultivating purposes?

Sir E. STRACHEY

In 1910 87.80 per cent. of the land under crops and grass in England and Wales was rented and 12.20 per cent. was owned. The Board have no information as to the proportion of that "mainly-rented" and "mainly owned," the definition of agricultural land is not precisely the same in the other countries named, but it may be stated approximately that in Denmark 87 per cent., in France 53 per cent., and in Germany 86 per cent. of the agricultural land is owned by the occupiers. The concluding inquiry should be addressed to the Prime Minister.

Mr. WEDGWOOD

Would it not be more helpful to hurry on the Valuation Act and thus enable people to get land at a reasonable price?

Sir GILBERT PARKER

asked whether any foreign Governments advance direct the full purchase money for the small ownership of land, as is done in Ireland; and, if so, what are those Governments?

Sir E. STRACHEY

I am not aware of any instances of the kind.