§ 75. Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH-COOKEasked the Minister of Agriculture how many ex-service men have been provided with small holdings by the county councils and the councils of county boroughs since the Armistice; what has been the total amount of rent paid and what is the deficiency; how many smallholders have failed altogether and gone out of business; what has been the amount of capital cost of the scheme, including money paid for the land, annual loan charges, and cost of administration: and what is the total loss to the State, if any, of this experiment in small holdings, and the average loss per small holding?
§ Sir H. BARNSTONThe information asked for by my hon. Friend is given in 917 detail in the recently-issued Report on Land Settlement in England and Wales, 1919 to 1924, and in as much as it would be difficult to set it out, with all the necessary explanations and qualifications, within the compass of a reply to his question, I venture to refer my hon. Friend to pages 36 to 45 of the Report, dealing with the financial aspects of the Land Settlement Scheme, and to the statistical table on page 139, showing the number of ex-service men settled. The number of men who have given up their holdings owing to failure is estimated not to exceed 10 or 12 per cent.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that I have read all that matter myself and I do not want to be told it in answer to my question? Is he able to give me an answer?
§ Sir H. BARNSTONI think my hon. Friend had better read it.
§ Sir C. KINLOCH-COOKEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that, owing to the very heavy loss to the State, the greater part of this money is entirely thrown away? Would it not be better to devote it to migration purposes, instead of to a scheme of this kind?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Gentleman is making a speech.