§ Sir H. CAUTLEYasked the Minister of Agriculture what the total loss incurred by the State and also by the local authorities in respect of the provision of small 673W holdings under the Small Holdings Acts, and secondly, under the Land Settlements Acts?
Mr. GUINNESSThe total amount paid by the Ministry to local authorities during the period 1908 to 1919, being a moiety of the losses incurred by those authorities in carrying out schemes for the provision of small holdings under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act, 1908, was £3,644. During the same period, the Ministry repaid to local authorities sums amounting to £285,810, being (a) one moiety of the expenses of ascertaining the demand for small holdings, and (b) expenses incurred by the local authorities in relation to the acquisition of land.
Under the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919, the Ministry has up to the present time repaid to local authorities sums amounting to £3,979,924, being the loss incurred by those authorities up to 31st. March, 1925, in respect of small holdings, whether acquired under the Act of 1908 or the Act of 1919. This sum includes those portions of the expenses of local authorities under the Act of 1908 which had not previously been recovered from the Ministry as explained in the previous paragraph.
For fuller information on this subject I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the Section entitled "Financial Aspects of Land Settlement," on pages 36 to 45 of the Report on Land Settlement in England and Wales, 1919 to 1924, published in November, 1925.