Sir L. HARMSWORTHasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, as representing the Department of Woods and Forests, if he will 1239W state the names and extent of the estates and farms in the county of Caithness owned or administered by this Department; what amount in acres of this land has been divided up for small holdings; and what proposals this Department has for conversion of the tracts in Caithness under its control into small holdings for soldiers, etc.?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe names and extent of the estates belonging to the Crown in the county of Caithness under the charge of the President of the Board of Agriculture, as Commissioner of Woods, are as follows:
Of this land, 2,461 acres on the Scots calder estate are held as small holdings, and the conversion into small holdings of another farm on the same estate containing 348 acres is under consideration. On the Dounreay estate a farm containing 604 acres is in process of division by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, and another farm containing 937 acres will be available for that purpose shortly. Other farms on that estate will be taken over by the Scottish Board as and when the present leases fall in. The greater part of the Dorrery estate and over 6,000 acres of the Scotscalder estate consist of moor lands which are not suitable for small holdings.
Acres. Dorrery … 7,603 Dounreay … 3,162 Lythmore … 1,050 Stemster … 675 Scotscalder … 13,600 Total … 26,090