VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to establish land banks which will be in a position to assist ex-Service men with a knowledge of agriculture but who have insufficient capital to purchase land.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (LORD ERNILE)My Lords the Bill for land settlement does contemplate the creation of a system of credit for ex-Service men for the purpose of seeds, fertilisers, implements, and other necessaries for the cultivation of a holding; but it does not include money to be advanced for the purchase of land. These small-holders will be able to purchase their holdings on the instalment system, and it is not the intention of the Government to create land banks. So far as we have any experience in the United Kingdom the attempt to create land banks has been hitherto a failure. One great difference marks out our system from that of any other country. The land itself cannot be pledged as a security, because it is not the property of the small-holder, whereas on the Continent there is always that element of security in creating a land bank. There is another point which I think is national rather than connected with our system of land tenure, and that is that in this country one man has a rooted objection to letting his neighbour know his financial affairs, and as in every case the land bank system depends upon a committee of the man's neighbours, who themselves make the advances, we do not think that it is the proper method to attempt to establish credit in this country. For the actual details of what our scheme of credit may be I am afraid that I must ask the noble Viscount to wait for the introduction of the Bill.
VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNI cannot, of course, do anything other than await the Bill; but I am disappointed by the answer that I have received, and I must ask the noble Lord to allow me to refer to the subject again on some future occasion.