HC Deb 25 March 1912 vol 36 cc6-7
Mr. ORMSBY-GORE

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state how many acres of land have been acquired compulsorily in the last two years for small holdings by the Glamorgan County Council; how much compensation was paid to the sitting tenants, and what has been the total cost of acquiring land and rendering it available for small holders; whether he has received any communication on the subject from the Glamorganshire Farmers' Defence Association; and whether he will undertake that no land in Glamorganshire shall go into inferior cultivation as a result of replacing the existing farmers by small holders?

The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Runciman)

No land has been acquired under compulsory powers for small holdings by the Glamorgan County Council. I am not able to give the whole of the information asked for in the second part of the question without further inquiry, but I may say that 660 acres of land have been purchased by the County Council for an aggregate price of £23,137, and 1,431 acres have been leased at an aggregate rent of £l,542. The answer to the third part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the last part of the question, I am not in a position, for obvious reasons, to give the undertaking suggested by the hon. Member, but I have every reason to believe that his apprehensions will prove to have been groundless.

Mr. CHARLES BATHURST

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he proposes to modify his recent advice to county councils on the subject of charges for small holdings loans in consequence of the refusal of the Public Works Loan Commissioners to make loans to county councils for the acquisition and equipment of small holdings unless both interest and sinking fund are charged to the small holders in their rent?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Gentleman on this subject on Thursday last.