ALLOTMENTbAND Small Holdings J.L.GREEN.I ^tate QJnlUge of Agriculture ^t (ftarnell IwiaerHitB atftaca. ^. $. Allotments and small holdings, 3 1924 014 028 579 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924014028579 SOCIAL SCIENCE SERIES. SCAJBLET CLOTS, EACH 28. 6d. 1. Work and Wages. Prot J. B. Thobold Bogebs. " Nothing that Professor Bogerg writes can (all to be of interest to thoughttiil people." — Atheiueum. a. Civilisation : its Cause and Cnre. Eswabd Gabpenteb. " No passing piece of polemics, but a permanent possession."— &o(««A Xemea. S. Quintessence of Socialism. Br. Schapple. " Precisely the manual needed. Brief, lucid, fair and wiBe."—BritUh Wtekly. •4. Darwinism and Politics. D. G. Eitchie, M.A. (Oxon.). New Edition, with two additional Essays on Human Bvoldtion. 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GREEN, F.S.S., Author of ^^ The Rural htdnstries of England" " The Old Veomen,' (Sr'tr LONDON SWAN SONNENSCHEI NT & CO. Limd. NEW YORK: CHARLES S,CRIBNER'S SONS 1896 PREFACE. The chief object of this little Work— apart from its general advocacy of Allotments and Small Holdings — is to show how the enact- ments relating thereto may be put into operation. The technical matter, therefore — brought down to the latest date — will, it is hoped, be found useful not only to those who desire land and to land-owners, but to Parish, District, and County Councillors in whose hands the enforcement of the Allotments and Small Holdings Acts is so largely placed. VI PREFACE. The Work — which raises no class anti- pathies — is based upon a very extensive ex- perience in the practical application of the Acts in question : and to that fact mainly will be due any merit it may be deemed to possess. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE, V. PART I.— ALLOTMENTS. Chap. L THE PEASANTRY AND THE LAND, - I „ n. LEGISLATION, - . 7 „ in. HOW TO PUT THE ACTS IN MOTION, 25 „ IV. "acreage" and results, 30 „ V. rules and agreements, - 38 PART II. -SMALL HOLDINGS. Chap. VI. LEGISLATION, - - - 56 „ VII. THE COTTAGE AND FARM BUILDINGS DIFFICULTY, - - 70 ,, VIII, COUNTY COUNCILS AND SMALL FARMS, - 94 Vlll CONTENTS. PART III.— UNEMPLOYED AND THE LAND. PAGE Chap. IX. THE TOWN UNEMPLOYED AND THE LAND, - lOI APPENDICES. ORDERS UNDER LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, - 1 17 RULES UNDER SMALL HOLDINGS ACT, - I25 FURTHER RULES UNDER SMALL HOLDINGS ACT, 130 TYPES OF BRITISH PEASANTRY (ILLUSTRATED), - I41 ALLOTMENTS AND SMALL HOLDINGS. PART I.— ALLOTMENTS. CHAPTER I. THE PEASANTRY AND THE LAND. The rural cultivator below the rank of farmer belonged, up to the York and Lancaster period in the history of England, to the category of serfs, slaves, or villeins ; but as that period wore on, the extinction of villeinage became an accomplished fact, and with it there gradually but surely sprang up a large and increasing number of yeomen (or small freeholders). Estates became divided in different parts throughout the country ; the freeholders increased, and trade generally was augmented ; with the result that there was a much greater measure of comfort amongst the whole population, and not least amongst the peasantry. In the Tudor period which followed, it is painful to record that this progress, so far as the small farmers and A 2 Allotments and Small Holdings. peasantry were concerned, received a most material check. The demand for wool was considerable, and Henry VIII. and his advisers thought this could be produced in larger quantities if the smaller farms were less numerous, and the larger farms more numerous. Accordingly, com- merce requiring the wool, the small holdings very generally became added one to another. The merchants, too, be- coming wealthy, and being desirous of land, bought out the small freeholders ; and many are the complaints of the period at the " farming gentlemen and clerking knights " ^ and others who were guilty of such a -practice. Forsyth declares that the small farmers were " got rid of either by fraud or force, or tired out with repeated wrongs into part- ing with their property." And so on. It was largely in consequence of this state of things that Elizabeth was prompted to make her celebrated inquiry into the con- dition of the poor, and so to remove, if possible, the great prevailing discontent amongst the common people. In the Stuart period, however, we find the yeomen and peasantry again in the possession or occupation of land, both classes being numerous, prosperous, and (as re- gards the former) influential. It was, as distinct from to-day, very common, too, for the country gentry to " spend their seasoa " in the county towns. ^ In the earlier part of the following period, i.e., the Bruns- wick period, great improvement took place in the agricul- tural industry, owing to the action of the larger land-owners in improving their estates ; though Young sarcastically remarks that "the farming tribe is now made up of all ranks, from a duke to an apprentice." Owing, however, to the undoubtedly better cultivation of the eighteenth ' Latimer. ^ Defoe. The Peasantry and the Land. 3 century, the land yielded in corn and stock double and treble what it did in^ say, the thirteenth century, whilst the sheep's fleece was four times heavier at the former date than it was at the latter.^ Commerce also amazingly increased from the various inventions and discoveries of the time, and agriculture was again forced up to " a feverish andunhealthy prosperity." Butinthis sameBrunswick period, right on up to within the last forty to fifty years, the small freeholders were tempted to sell (and, where only tenants, to leave) their lands, with the result that the large farm system once more became the order of the day in our agri- cultural economy. Common and waste lands, between 1760 and 1867, were enclosed to the extent of 7,325,439 acres, and thus the peasantry were dispossessed, or their rights bought from them, on the plea that the land which they occupied, or used, could be put to better purpose by " large farming," or capitalist farming. These common and waste lands were, beyond question, sometimes legally, and sometimes illegally, taken and enclosed, but always on the plea we have named, and which, let us admit, was in numerous cases a genuine plea. The large-farm system, however, has, as every day shows, again failed. Bad seasons, want of capital, low prices, an increasing population, and the higher wages demanded by farm hands, have been the main factors conducive to this result. Some think that it would be a grand thing to be able to contemplate our labourers all fully occupied and fairly paid, and the land itself cultivated by large owners or large farmers; but it was not — is not — to be. A demand, therefore, is now made for a restitution of things more or less on the lines of former times — a demand 1 Rogers. 4 Allotments and Small Holdings. which, in the interest of all three classes connected with the land, and in the interest of the nation as a whole, these pages, it is hoped, may assist. This " restitution " means, amongst other things, a more extended and even better cultivation ; and surely it must be wise to cultivate the land to the greatest possible extent and in the best possible manner. The large-farm system is not always calculated to achieve either result. The allotment holder, who eventually becomes a small farmer, produces in many instances twice as much, pro rata, as does the large farmer ; his produce is quite as good ; and such increased production must, in the face of our growing imports, be to the advan- tage of the nation at large. However much we may (as we ought to) be grateful for the improvements which large land-owners and tenant farmers have brought about by the application of their capital in buying and in using machinery, draining the land, and otherwise improving it, we suppose that this does not, cannot, compensate for a divorced labouring population — a population having no real and tangible interest in life beyond the mere keeping of body and soul together by means of a weekly wage. We can, consequently, understand the demand now made on behalf of the agricultural labouring population. That demand has for its object the retaining of such population upon the soil by means of allotments and small holdings — the keeping of it in the country, where, not contaminated with that of the towns, it may remain and thrive morally, physically, economically, and socially — being, at the same time, a firm and natural safeguard to the stability of the empire. It may be stated, and has been often stated, that large farming is more conducive to cheap production than small farming ; but in reply we would say, that our experi- ence in many parts of the country shows that large farmers The Peasantry and the Land. 5 do not and cannot employ sufficient labour to cultivate the land to the greatest and best extent; secondly, that the argument is, therefore, delusive ; and thirdly, that the question is primarily a social one, and an economic one afterwards. This last consideration is, we fear, too often lost sight of. To alter the unsatisfactory state of matters arising from the divorcement of the peasantry from the soil, the Legis- lature, by the Allotments Acts of 1887 and 1890, and sub- sequently by the Local Government Act, 1894, recognised, for the first time, the right of the labourers to obtain from the farmer and land-owner, by compulsory means, land for the purposes of cultivation — a fact of great interest. ^ A good deal of misrepresentation as to the value of the two former Acts has been, and is even now, current. It is asserted that the Acts were, and are, " useless." It is a matter of experience with the writer when he declares they have been enormously useful. The " demand " referred to on the previous page is en- tirely owing to the Right Honourable Jesse Collings, M.P., and the friends he gathered around him about the year 1880 and onwards. In Parliament he brought forward a bill with the threefold object of securing (i) allotments, (2) small holdings, and (3) power for tenants already occupying small holdings to permanently acquire the lands in their occupation. Mr. Collings' ceaseless work in this direction was— it is right to point out — year after year treated with in- difference by members of both sides of the House ; and annually, when he brought on his bill it was "counted out," " talked out," or otherwise disposed of, with but little interest being manifested in the objects it and he sought to promote. Mr. Collings, however, had seen enough of the agricultural ^ See also remarks in Part II. on " Small Holdings.' 6 Allotments and Small Holdings. labourers to know that what he was striving for would, if adopted, prove a step — and that a most important one — in opening up a career upon the land for that class of the population which had been neglected for generations. Ac- cordingly, after the first few years of almost single-handed effort, sufficient impression was made upon the people and their representatives in Parliament, to make it clear that before long some happy issue would accrue : in fact, the issue came with almost startling suddenness in 1887,'^ when, as we have said, the first measure containing compulsory power to take land for allotment purposes was passed into law. 1 Under the Allotments Act of that year, and the Allotments Act, 1890, 5,536 persons had secured allotments, amounting in all to 2,249 acres, 2 roods, 39 poles, in England and Wales up to 28th December, 1894. These figures do not include very many thousands of persons who secured allotments direct from the landlords under the voluntary clauses of the Acts, and as to which there are no official data. A fair estimate at the same date would place the number at about 100,000 persons. CHAPTER II. LEGISLATION. We propose now to give details of the legislative recog- nition to which we have referred; and, in so doing, we shall indicate (i) to those desiring allotments, what is, at the present time, the procedure to be followed to acquire them ; and (2) to land-owners and local authorities the duties which the State has placed upon them to discharge when applied to by would-be allottees. The Allotments Act of 1887. — The Administration of the Act is placed in the hands of the Sanitary Authority, which in boroughs is the Town Council, and, in rural districts, usually the Rural District Council. By section 2, any six Parliamentary electors, or resident ratepayers in a district can require the Sanitary Authority to inquire into the supply of Labourers' Allotments in their district or parish, and it then becomes obligatory on the Local Authority to cause an inquiry to be made. If the Authority are satisfied that there is a demand for allotments, it is their duty to inquire and ascertain if suitable land can be obtained for the purpose by voluntary arrange- ment at a reasonable rent and on reasonable conditions ; and, if they find it cannot be so obtained, then they are em- powered to purchase or hire any suitable land which may be available either within or without their parish or district, and to let such land in allotments not exceeding one acre, to persons (men or women) belonging to the labouring population resident in the parish or district. 7 8 Allotments and Small Holdings. By section 3, if suitable land cannot be purchased or hired by voluntary arrangement in sufficient quantity, the Local Authority may petition the County Council, and the County Council after due inquiry may make a Provisional Order compelling the owners to sell land for the purpose of allotments, under the provisions of what are known as the Lands Clauses Acts, and the Local Government Board are then empowered to introduce a Bill into Parliament to con- firm the Provisional Order.'- The cost of a Provisional Order when not opposed is very small, amounting in most cases to only a few pounds. Questions of disputed com- pensation for lands acquired by compulsory purchase are to be decided by a single arbitrator appointed by the parties, or, on applicatioh of either of them, by an arbitrator appointed by the Local Government Board, the remunera- tion of the arbitrator to be fixed by the Board. With a view to prevent factious opposition, the arbitrator has power to disallow the costs of any witness, or any other costs which he considers have been unnecessarily incurred. With the same object, it is, by section 4, provided that if a Provisional Order is opposed in Parliament, the Par- liamentary Committee can order anyone to pay costs whose opposition they consider is not justified by the circum- stances of the case. Parks, gardens, pleasure grounds, lands used and required by Railway or Canal Companies, or for the convenience of dwelling-houses, cannot be taken by compulsory purchase; nor as far as it can possibly be avoided, is an undue or inconvenient quantity to be taken from any one owner. Corporate bodies may lease lands to the Local Authority for the purpose of allotments for any term not exceeding thirty-five years. (Section 3.) 1 Under the Local Government Act, 1894, the procedure is some- what altered. Legislation. By section 6, the Local Authority may make rules and regulations for managing the allotments, which must be con- firmed by the Local Government Board, and a copy of these rules and regulations must be given gratis to any inhabitant applying for it. No undue preference, however, must be made in letting allotments, and no tenant is to be required to leave his tenancy without reasonable notice. As to what is " reasonable notice," the Local Government Board sug- gests that it shall be the same as that provided by the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1883, which is twelve months' notice expiring with a year of tenancy. By sections 6 and 9, the Local Authority may appoint allotment managers to carry out the rules and regulations, but should the holders desire to elect their own managers, then, at a written request signed by not less than one-sixth of the electors in a parish, the Local Authority must arrange for the election of such managers ; the election to be by ballot, and the number so elected to be not less than three or more than five. ■ By section 7, the rent of allotments is to be fixed at an amount not less than such as may be reasonably expected to secure the Local Authority (that is, the ratepayers) from loss. Subject to this, such rents may be from time to time charged as are reasonable, having regard to the value of similar land in the district. By section 7, allotments must not be sub-let, and no one person can hold more than one acre (in addition to any common pasture land which may be provided under the Act) unless there are allotments vacant, in which case such allotments may be let to any person, but on condition that the Local Authority can resume possession within twelve months if the land is required for other persons who are without allotments. A tenant may erect on his allotment a lo Allotments and Small Holdings. tool-house, shed, green-house, fowl-house, or pig-sty, but no other buildings, and on quitting the holding he is at liberty to remove any such building he may have erected, or sell the same to an incoming tenant. By section 8, if a tenant fail to pay his rent, or if he per- sistently violate the regulations for the management of allotments, or remove more than a mile outside the parish in which the allotments are situate, the Local Authority can, on due notice, determine his tenancy ; provided that when a tenancy is thus determined, the Local Authority (in default of an agreement between the in-coming and out- going tenant) must, on demandj pay any compensation due to the tenant as an out-going tenant, the amount of such com- pensation to be assessed by an arbitrator appointed by the Local Authority, or — if the tenant so elect — by an arbitrator appointed under the Allotments and Cottage Gardens Com- pensation for Crops Act, 1887, or by a reference to the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1883. The tenant may also remove any fruit and other trees planted or acquired by him for which he may have no claim to compensation. By section 10, all expenses incurred under the Act by the Local Authority are to be defrayed in accordance with the Public Health Act, 1875, ^^^^ charged to the parish on ac- count of which the land was acquired. And all sums received in respect of land so acquired (otherwise than from any sale or exchange) are to be applied in aid of the expenses in re- spect of such land, and any such surplus is to be credited to the parish on account of which the land was acquired. The Local Authority may borrow for the purpose of general and special expenses, and for acquiring, improving, and adapting land under this Act \ the loans and the payment thereof to be under the provisions of the Public Health Act, 1875. Separate accounts of receipts and expenditure Legislation. 1 1 under the Act are to be kept and audited in the manner provided by the Act of 1875. By section 11, the Authority may sell, let, or exchange any superfluous lands, and the proceeds must be applied in discharging, by way of a sinking fund or otherwise, the debts and liabilities in respect of acquiring land under the Act, or in acquiring, adapting, or improving other land for allotments. But all proceeds and surplus must be used for the benefit of the parish for which the land was acquired. By section 12, in addition to land for allotments, the Local Authority are empowered to acquire land for common pasture, provided it can be acquired at a price which may reasonably be expected to be recouped by the rents ; and they are to make rules as to the persons who are to keep animals on the common pasture, the number to be kept, and the conditions and charges for each animal. It is therefore possible under the Act for a labourer to hold one acre of arable land and have also the right of common pasture. Clause 13, sec. 2, contains a valuable provision. The Allotments Extension Act, 1882 (known as Mr. Jesse Collings' Act), provides that charity lands held for the benefit of the poor of a parish (except such lands be for educational, ecclesiastical, or apprenticeship purposes), shall be offered to labourers for allotments. The Act of 1882 has been largely used, but trustees are frequently unwilling to offer the land as required by the Act, lest the charity should suffer, or through trouble of collecting small rents ; and also because they have no money available for the pur- pose of preparing the land for allotments. These difiSculties are overcome by this clause, which enables the trustees to sell or let the charity land in bulk to the Local Authority 12 Allotments and Small Holdings. for the purposes of allotments, thereby relieving themselves from trouble, risk, and responsibility. By section 14, two or more parishes may combine for the purposes ,of the Act, and any area other than a parish which is a contributory place under the Public Health Act, 1875, may also join. It is important to note that in cases where the land has been acquired by the Local Authority by means of a loan repayable by instalments, the "expenses" referred to in section 2 of the Act (subsection 2) are to include the interest payable on the purchase money, but are not to include the instalments of principal, or payments to a sink- ing fund. The Authority is to pay all rates, taxes, and tithes, and is to fairly apportion the same among the allot- ment holders, and the sum so apportioned is to be added to and to be deemed part of the rent payable by the tenant. If the Authority think fit, they may require one quarter's rent in advance, but no more. Although the rates, taxes, and tithes are paid by the Authority, yet for the purposes of the Parliamentary franchise, and the municipal and other local franchises, the tenants are to be held as the occupiers. The Allotments Act, 1890. — The object of this short, simple, and useful Act is to provide for an appeal from Sanitary Authorities to County Councils when the former fail to acquire suitable allotments for the working men. Where (section 2) the usual " representation " under the Allotments Act of 1887 has been made to the Sanitary Authority requiring them to enforce the provisions of that Act, and they have " failed to acquire land adequate and suitable in quality and position to provide a sufficient number of allotments," any six persons qualified to make such representation (i.e., registered Parliamentary electors or ratepayers of the parish) may, under the Act of 1890, Legislation. 1 3 petition the County Council, stating the facts, and re- questing the Council to put into force the Act of 1887. Persons who reside in boroughs and who may desire allot- ments have no such power of appeal or petition under this or any other Act. The Council, if satisfied, after local inquiry, that allotment land should be acquired, are to pass a resolution to that effect, and thereupon the duties of the Sanitary Authority under the Act of 1887, so far as regards the land desired in the particular district or parish, become transferred to the County Council. The County Council must then proceed to acquire land in accordance with the original Act of 1887. Every County Council is, by section 3, required annually at the meeting for the election of chairman, to appoint an allotments committee, not exceeding one-fourth of the whole number of members of the Council ; and to this committee all allotment petitions under the Act to the County Council are to be referred by that body as a matter of course. The County Councillor of a district or parish situate wholly or partly in an electoral division where allot- ments are desired, is to be an additional member of the said committee if not already appointed. The committee, on being satisfied as to the bond-fide character of any petition, is immediately to make a local inquiry into the circumstances, and to report the result to the Council. Such inquiry may be held by one or more members of the committee, or by such other person as the committee may appoint. By section 4 it is provided that if the duty or powers of the Sanitary Authority under the Act of 1887 become transferred to the County Council, the following pro- visions are to have effect:— (a) The Act of 1887 is to apply with the modifications necessary for giving effect to the 14 Allotments and Small Holdings. Allotments Appeals Act, 1890. {b) The County Council may borrow money in the same way and on the same security as the Sanitary Authority under the Act of 1887 are empowered to do ; and the Sanitary Authority are to repay the borrowed money and interest, as if the same had been raised by the said Authority themselves, (f) The County Council are to keep separate accounts of all receipts and expenditure, {d) The County Council may make a Pro- visional Order for the compulsory purchase of land on the recommendation of the standing committee, without any petition from the Sanitary Authority ; and the Council are to be considered as the promoters of the Order, (e) The County Council may delegate to the Sanitary Authority any powers under sections 6, 7, or 8 of the Act of 1887 (which relate to the management of allotments, the letting and use thereof, and the recovery of rent and possession). Subject to the terms of the delegation, all expenses and receipts arising out of the exercise of the duties so delegated are to be paid and dealt with as under the Act of 1887. (/) The County Council, at the request of the Sanitary Authority, may transfer to the latter all or any of their (the Council's) powers, etc., under the Act of 1890 as regards the district of the said Sanitary Authority or any part of it. Section 5 says that the free use of any room in a school receiving public funds may, subject to six days' notice, be had (except during school hours) for the purposes of the Act of 1890 by the County Council; or, with the consent of any two managers, the free use of any such school may be had in order to discuss any question under the Acts of 1887 or 1890. Any damage done to the room or any ex- pense incurred is to be paid by the County Council or by the persons calling the meeting. Those local inhabitants signing the notice must not be less than six in number, and Legislation. 1 5 they must be registered Parliamentary electors or rate- payers of the parish in which the allotments are desired. The notice must be sent or given to the clerk of the Board if the school is under a School Board ; and in any other case, to one of the managers of the school. If, however, the use of the schoolroom for the time fixed for the meet- ing has, previously to the receipt of the notice, been granted for some other purpose, the notice is void, although in that case an intimation of such previous use having been granted must immediately, on receipt of the notice, be made to one of the persons signing it, together with an in- timation naming some other day on which the room may be used. In case the persons calHng the meeting fail to obtain the use of the room, they may appeal to the stand- ing committee before mentioned, and the committee is forthwith to decide the appeal, and to make such order respecting the use of the room as seems just. By section 6 (the last in the enactment) provision is made for the payment of the expenses incurred. In certain events these are to be thrown upon the defaulting Sanitary Authority. The Local Government Act, 1894. — Under the Local Government Act, 1894, the procedure in acquiring allot- ments under the Allotments Acts of 1887 and 1890, has been what we may term " modified " in part and added to in part. The various clauses in the Act which relate to allot- ments may as well, in view of the great public interest which has been manifested in them, be given exactly as they stand in the measure. They are as follows :— Section 6, subsection (3), says :— " A Parish Council shall have the same power of making a representation with respect to allotments, and of applying for the election of allotment managers, as is conferred on Parliamentary electors by the Allotments Act, 1887, or the Allot- 1 6 Allotments and Small Holdings. ments Act, i8go, but without prejudice to the powers of those electors." Subsection (4) declares : — " Where any Act constitutes any persons wardens for allotments, or authorises or requires the appointment or election of any wardens, committee or managers for the purpose of allotments, then, after a Parish Council for the parish interested in such allotments comes into ofSce, the powers and duties of the wardens, committee, or managers shall be exercised and performed by the Parish Council, and it shall not be necessary to make the said appointment or to hold the said election, and for the purpose of section sixteen of the Small Holdings Act, 1892, two members of the Parish Council shall be substituted for allotment managers or persons appointed as allotment managers." Section 9 and its various important subsections are : — "(i) For the pur- pose of the acquisition of land by a Parish Council, the Lands Clauses Acts shall be incorporated with this Act, except the provisions of those Acts with respect to the purchase and taking of land otherwise than by agreement, and section one hundred and seventy-eight of the Public Health Act, 1875, shall apply as if the Parish Council were referred to therein. (2) If a Parish Council are unable to acquire by agreement and on reasonable terms suitable land for any purpose for which they are authorised to acquire it, they may represent the case to the County Council, and the County Council shall inquire into the representation. (3) If on any such representation, or on any proceeding under the Allotments Acts, 1887 and 1890, a County Council are satisfied that suitable land for the said purpose of the Parish Council or for the pur- pose of allotments (as the case may be), cannot be acquired on reason- able terms by voluntary agreement, and that the circumstances are such as to justify the County Council in proceeding under this section (i.e. section 9), they shall cause such public inquiry to be made in the parish, and such notice to be given both in the parish and to the owners, lessees, and occupiers of the land proposed to be taken, as may be prescribed, and all persons interested shall be permitted to attend at the inquiry, and to support or oppose the taking of the land. (4) After the completion of the inquiry, and considering all objections made by any persons interested, the County Council may make an order for putting in force, as respects the said land or any part thereof, the pro- visions of the Lands Clauses Acts with respect to the purchase and taking of land otherwise than by agreement. (5) If the County Legislation. 1 7 Council refuse to make any such order, the Parish Council, or, if the proceeding is taken on the petition of the District Council, then the District Council may petition the Local Government Board, and that Board after local inquiry may, if they think proper, make the order, and this section shall apply as if the order had been made by the County Council. Any order made under this subsection overruling the decision of the County Council shall be laid before Parliament by the Local Government Board. (6) A copy of any order made under this section shall be served in the prescribed manner, together with a state- ment that the order will become final and have the effect of an Act of Parliament, unless within the prescribed period a memorial by some person interested is presented to the Local Government Board praying that the order shall not become law without further inquiry. (7) The order shall be deposited with the Local Government Board, who shall inquire whether the provisions of this section and the prescribed regula- tions have been in all respects complied with ; and if the Board are satisfied that this has been done, then, after the prescribed period — (a) If no memorial has been presented, or if every such memorial has been withdrawn, the Board shall, without further inquiry, confirm the order : (6) If a memorial has been presented, the Local Government Board shall proceed to hold a local inquiry, and shall, after such inquiry, either confirm, with or without amendment, or disallow the order : (c) Upon any such confirmation the order, and if amended as so amended, shall become final and have the effect of an Act of Parliament, and the confirmation by the Local Government Board shall be conclusive evi- dence that the requirements of this Act have been complied with, and that the order has been duly made, and is within the powers of this Act. (8) Sections two hundred and ninety-three to two hundred and ninety- six, and subsections (l) and (2) of section two hundred and ninety-seven of the Public Health Act, 1875, shall apply to a local inquiry held by the Local Government Board for the purposes of this section, as if those sections and subsections were herein re-enacted, and in terms made applicable to such inquiry. (9) The order shall be carried into effect, when made on the petition of a District Council, by that council, and in any other case by the County Council. (10) Any order made under this section for the purpose of the purchase of land otherwise than by agreement shall incorporate the Lands Clauses Acts and sections seventy- seven to eighty-five of the Railways Clauses Consohdation Act, 1845, with the necessary adaptations, but any question of disputed com- B 1 8 Allotments and Small Holdings. pensation shall be dealt with in the manner provided by section three of the Allotments Act, 1887, and provisoes (a), (6), and (c) of subsection (4) of that section are incorporated writh this section and shall apply accordingly : Provided that in determining the amount of disputed compensation, the arbitrator shall not make any additional allowance in respect of the purchase being compulsory. (11) At any inquiry or arbitration held under this section the person or persons holding the inquiry or arbitration shall hear any authorities or parties interested, by themselves or their agents, and shall hear witnesses, but shall not, except in such cases as may be prescribed, hear counsel or expert witnesses. (12) The person or persons holding a public inquiry for the purposes of this section on behalf of a County Council shall have the same powers as an inspector or inspectors of the Local Government Board when holding a local inquiry ; and section two hundred and ninety-four of the Public Health Act, 1875, shall apply to the costs of inquiries held by the County Council for the purpose of this section as if the County Council were substituted for the Local Government Board. (13) Subsection (2) of section two, if the land is taken for allotments, and, whether it is or is not so taken, subsections (5), (6), (7), and (8) of section three of the Allotments Act, 1887, and section eleven of that Act, and section three of the Allotments Act, 1890, are incorporated with this section, and shall, with the prescribed adaptations, apply accordingly. (14) Where the land is acquired othervdse than for allotments, it shall be assured to the Parish Council ; and any land purchased by a County Council for allotments under the Allotments Acts, 1887 and 1890, and this Act, or any of them, shall be assured to the Parish Council, and in that case sections five to eight of the Allot- ments Act, 1887, shall apply as if the Parish Council were the Sanitary Authority. (15) Nothing in this section shall authorise the Parish Council to acquire otherwise than by agreement any land for the purpose of any supply of water, or of any right of way. (16) In this section the expression " allotments " includes common pasture where authorised to be acquired under the Allotments Act, 1887. (17) Where, under the Allotments Act, 1890, the Allotments Act, 1887, applies to the purchase of land by the County Council, that Act shall apply as amended by this section ; and the Parish Council shall have the like power of petitioning the County Council as is given to six parliamentary electors by section two of the Allotments Act, 1890. (18) This section shall apply to a County Borough with the necessary modifications, and Legislation. 1 9 in particular with the modification tliat the order shall be both made and confirmed by the Local Government Board, and shall be carried into eflfect by the Council of the County Borough. (19) The expenses of a County Council incurred under this section shall be defrayed in like manner as in the case of a local inquiry by a County Council under this Act." Section 10 and its subsections, for the first time, permit of the compulsory hiring of land for allotment purposes, and are : — " (i) The Parish Council shall have power to hire land for allotments, and if they are satisfied that allotments are required, and are unable to hire by agreement on reasonable terms suitable land for allotments, they shall represent the case to the County Council, and the County Council may make an order authorising the Parish Council to hire compulsorily for allotments, for a period not less than foiirteen years nor more than thirty-five years, such land in or near the parish as is specified in the order, and the order shall, as respects confirmation and otherwise, be subject to the like provisions as if it were an order of the County Council made under the last preceding section {i.e., section 9) of this Act, and that section shall apply as if it were herein re-enacted with the substitution of ' hiring ' for ' purchase ' and with the other necessary modifications. (2) A single arbitrator, who shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of section three of the Allotments Act, 1887, and to whom the provisions of that section shall apply, shall have power to determine any question — (a) as to the terms and conditions of the hiring ; or (6) as to the amount of compensation for severance ; or (c) as to the compensation to any tenant upon the determination of his tenancy ; or {d) as to the apportionment of the rent between the land taken by the Parish Council and the land not taken from the tenant ; or (e) as to any other matter incidental to the hiring of the land by the Council, or the surrender thereof at the end of thc-ir tenancy ; but the arbitrator in fixing the rent shall not make any addition in respect of compulsory hiring. (3) The arbitrator, in fixing rent or other compensation, shall take into consideration all the circumstances connected with the land, and the use to which it might otherwise be put by the owner during the term of hiring, and any depreciation of the value to the tenant of the residue of his holding caused by the withdrawal from the holding of the land hired by the Parish Council. (4) Any compensation awarded to a tenant in respect of any depreciation of the value to him of the 20 Allotments and Small Holdings. residue of his holding caused by the withdrawal from the holding of the land hired by the Parish Council shall as far as possible be provided for by taking such compensation into account in fixing, as the case may require, the rent to be paid by the Parish Council for the land hired by them, and the apportioned rent, if any, to be paid by the tenant for that portion of the holding which is not hired by the Parish Council. (5) The award of the arbitrator or a copy thereof, together with a re- port signed by him as to the condition of the land taken by the Parish Council, shall be deposited and preserved with the public books, writ- ings, and papers of the Parish, and the owner for the time being of the land shall at all reasonable times be at liberty to inspect the same and to take copies thereof. (6) Save as hereinafter mentioned, sections five to eight of the Allotments Act, 1887, shall apply to any allotment hired by a Parish Council in like manner as if that Council were the Sanitary Authority and also the allotment managers : Provided that the Parish Council — (a) may let to one person an allotment or allot- ments exceeding one acre, but, if the land is hired compulsorily, not exceeding in the whole four acres of pasture or one acre of arable and three acres of pasture ; and (6) may permit to be erected on the allot- ment any stable, cowhouse, or bam ; and (c) shall not break up, or permit to be broken up, any permanent pasture, without the assent in writing of the landlord. (7) On the determination of any tenancy created by compulsory hiring, a single arbitrator who shall be appointed in ac- cordance with the provisions of section three of the Allotments Act, 1887, shall have power to determine as to the amount due by the land- lord for compensation for improvements, or by the Parish Council for depreciation, but such compensation shall be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the Agricultural Holdings (England) Act, 1883. (8) The order for compulsory hiring may apply, with the prescribed adaptations, to such of the provisions of the Lands Clauses Acts (includ- ing those relating to the acquisition of land otherwise than by agree- ment) as appear to the County Council or Local Government Board sufficient for carrying into effect the order, and for the protection of the persons interested in the land and of the Parish Council. (9) Nothing in this section shall authorise the compulsory hiring of any mines or minerals, or confer any right to take, sell, or carry away any gravel, sand, or clay, or authorise the hiring of any land which is already owned or occupied as a small holding within the meaning of the Small Holdings Act, 1892. (10) If the land hired under this section shall Legislation. 2 1 at any time during the tenancy thereof by the Parish Council be shown to the satisfaction of the County Council to be required by the landlord for the purpose of working and getting the mines, minerals, or surface minerals thereunder, or for any road or work to be used in connexion with such working or getting, it shall be lawful for the landlord of such land to resume possession thereof upon giving to the Parish Council twelve calendar months previous notice in writing of his intention so to do, and upon such resumption the landlord shall pay to the Parish Council and to the allotment holders of the land for the time being such sum by way of compensation for the loss of such land for the purposes of allotments as may be agreed upon by the landlord and the Parish Council, or in default of such agreement as may be awarded by a single arbitrator to be appointed in accordance with the provisions of section three of the Allotments Act, 1887, and the provisions of that section shall apply to such arbitrator. The word ' landlord ' in this subsection means the person for the time being entitled to receive the rent of the land hired by the Parish Council. (11) The Local Govern- ment lioard shall annually lay before Parliament a report of any pro- ceedings under this and the preceding section." With regard to the expenses of a Parish Council in acquiring allot- ments we may as well quote what the Act says concerning expenses generally. Section u declares: — " (i) A Parish Council shall not, without the consent of a Parish Meeting, incur expenses or liabilities which will involve a rate exceeding threepe-nce. in the pound for any local financial year, or which will involve a loan. (2) A Parish Council shall not, without the approval of the County Council, incur any expense or liability which will involve a loan. (3) The sum raised in any local financial year by a Parish Council for their expenses, other than expenses under the Adoptive Acts [to acquire allotments does not come under the ' Adoptive Acts '], shall not exceed a sum equal to a rate of sixpence in the pound on the rateable value of the parish at the commencement of the year, and for the purpose of this enactment the expression 'expenses' includes any annual charge, whether of principal or interest, in respect of any loan." In comparing the Local Government Act, 1894, with the Allotments Acts, 1887 and 1890, the following should be borne in mind : — 2 2 Allotments and Small Holdings. 1. It is not now necessary to obtain the consent of Parliament when allotment land is acquired compulsorily from an owner. 2. The County Council, or in the event of an appeal, the Local Government Board, have alone the power to take land compulsorily for allotment purposes. 3. A tenant may in certain circumstances (see section 10, subsection 6) have as many as four acres for allotments. 4. Rural residents who desire allotments but who have not a Parish Council must (as previous to the passing of the Local Government Act, 1894) apply for them to the Sani- tary Authority (now the District Council) under the Allot- ments Act, 1887 : unless the Parish Meeting choose to apply to the County Council, and the County Council then confer on the Parish Meeting such of the powers of a Parish Council as in the matter of allotments the said meeting may ask for or desire. Any such application, however, would probably involve a great deal of unnecessary delay. 5. It has been urged that under the Local Government Act, 1894, the persons entitled to allotments are the " labouring population." As to the meaning of the term " labouring population,'' the law officers of the Crown say that the expression means the population that, in substance, makes a living by manual labour, and that it includes all such as smiths, ploughmen, carpenters, artificers, workers in factories, and others whose work is in the main manual, though knowledge and skill also be required ; but that it does not include those whose work is in the main a matter of knowledge and skill, though manual labour also be re- quired, such as nurses or cooks, postmasters, clerks, or tradesmen. In general the law officers consider that the line of demarcation is that above indicated, but that it is Legislation. 23 impossible to lay it down with precision, and that each case must depend on its facts. Further, they observe that section 2 of the Allotments Act, 1887, authorises the letting of allotments to " persons belonging to the labouring population," and the expression, in the opinion of the law officers, includes not only those who labour themselves, but those really belonging to the class, though personally they may not labour; for example, the widow of a labourer. But we may add a few words to what the law officers have stated. The term " labouring population " has been very narrowly construed in some cases. When the Allotments Bill was before Parliament in 1887, it was felt that some term must be inserted in it in order that the measure might not be unnecessarily cramped or restricted. To have in- serted "agricultural" labouring population, or "artisan" population, or even both, would have been a grave mistake, as the slightest reflection will show. The measure was certainly never intended for either one alone of those "classes." On the other hand, the term "labouring" population cannot, if we bear in mind the whole spirit in which the Allotments Bill was conceived, debated, and passed into an Act, be open to serious objection. Our own opinion is that any and every man or woman who earns his or her livelihood largely or chiefly by manual work comes well within the meaning of the term, and is, in point of fact, a " labourer " in the best and just sense of the term. Obviously, if any great number of those were excluded whom we here argue should be included, the Allotments Act would be a nullity in many thousands of cases where it is needed, and where, too, it is most likely to prove advantageous. Our view, however, is backed up by Mr. Ritchie (President of the Local Government Board in the Parliament which passed the Allotments Act), as 24 Allotments and Small Holdings. well as by the Allotments Provisional Order Confirmation Act, 1891, and by the Cheshire Lines Committee Act, 1893. In the Act of 1891 alluded to, the term is distinctly made to include " mechanics, artizans, labourers, and others working for wages ; hawkers, costermongers, persons not working for wages, but working at some trade or handicraft without employing others except members of their own family ; and persons, other than domestic servants, whose income does not exceed an average of thirty shillings a week, and the families of any of such persons who may be residing with them." In the Act of 1893 exactly the same significance is given to the term. The Allotments Act, 1887, has therefore a wider significance than the Local Government Act, 1894, and would no doubt include rural postmasters, tradesmen, etc., and women (whether widows or not). CHAPTER III. HOW TO PUT THE ACTS IN MOTION. If an individual desire an allotment he should first apply to the owner of the land to see if he be willing to grant it to hira. In rural districts it may often be found more con- venient to apply to the tenant (usually a farmer) ; this is not the legal method, but to do so may obviate any feeling of soreness at going otherwise behind the farmer's back, i.e., to his landlord. If the farmer consent, the landlord will, in nine cases of ten, do so too ; at all events, such is our experience. If the land cannot be obtained by voluntary means from one owner in the district, then application should be made in turn to the other owners (if there are any) having suitable land. Should none then be secured, formal application should be made either to the Sanitary Authority {i.e., the District Council) for the locality where the allotments are wanted, or to the Parish Council. To enable this and other formal applications to be made, we have drawn up several petitions. These may be copied out, and when filled in, should be sent to the Clerk to the District Council, or to the Parish Council, or County Council, as the case may be. We have also drawn up other petitions for use by Parish Councils who may either wish (i) to act on being formally asked by applicants to do so ; or (2) to take the initiative themselves in the matter. 25 26 Allotments and Small Holdings. (i) Petition to the Sanitary Authority (now the District Council), by Electors or Ratepayers. THE allotments ACTS, 1887 AND 189O : AND THE LOCAL GOVERN- MENT ACT, 1894. To the Sanitary Authority for the Union of Gentlemen, As registered Parliamentary electors or ratepayers, residing in the parish of , we hereby represent to your Authority that there is a demand for allotments for the labouring population of the said place, and that it is impossible to obtain such allotments by voluntary ar- rangements between the owners of suitable land and the applicants for the same. Address. Quantity of land required by each appUcanL (2) Petition to County Council by Electors or Ratepayers AFTER Failure of Sanitary Authority to Provide Land. allotments ACTS, 1 887 AND 189O : AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, 1894. To the County Council for Gentlemen, As registered Parliamentary electors or ratepayers residing in the parish of , we hereby represent to your Council (i) That under section 2, subsection i, of the Allotments Act, 1887, a representation was made to the Sanitary Authority for the Union, on the day of 189 — ; (2) That it is the duty of the said Sanitary Authority to take'proceedings under that Act therein ; and (3) That the said Sanitary Authority have failed to acquire any land for allotments for the parish. We, therefore, respectfvilly ask that your Council may put into opera- How to put the Acts in Motion. 27 tion the above Acts for the purpose of providing a sufficient number of suitable allotments for the said parish. Name. Address. Quantity of land desired by each applicant. (3) Petition by Parishioners to Parish Council to Acquire Allotments. the local government act, 1894. To the Parish — Council. Gentlemen, We, the undersigned, respectfully request that allotment land may be provided for us under the above Act. Name. Address. Quantity of land required by each applicant. (4) Petition to a District Council by a Parish Council. the local government act, 1894 : AND THE ALLOTMENTS ACTS, 18S7 AND 1890. To the ■ • District Council. ■ Parish Council held on the - -day of Gentlemen, At a meeting of the — , 189—, at which there was a quorum of members present, I was requested to represent, and I do hereby represent, to the District Council, that there is a demand in the said parish for allotments under the above Acts ; and that such allotments cannot be obtained by volun- 28 Allotments and Small Holdings. tary arrangement between the owners of suitable land and the Parish Council. Name, [Here state whether Clerk or Chairman of the Parish Council.] Address, (5) Petition by a Parish Council to a County Council on A District Council failing to provide Land. THE local government ACT, 1894 : AND THE ALLOTMENTS ACTS, 1887 AND 1890. To the County Council for . Gentlemen, At a meeting of the Parish Council held on the day of , 189 — , at which there was a quorum of members present, I was requested to represent, and I do hereby represent, to you (l) That, under section 2, subsection I, of the Allotments Act, 1887, a represent- ation was made to the DistrictCouncil onthe dayof , 189 — ; (2) That it is"the duty of the said District Council to take pro- ceedings under that Act therein; and (3) That the said District Council have failed to acquire any land for allotments for the said parish. It was also resolved that I should request, and I do hereby request, the County Council to put into force the above Acts, for the purpose of providing a sufficient number of suitable allotments for the said parish. The total quantity desired is acres. Name, [Here state whether Clerk or Chairman of the Parish Council.] Address, (6) Petition by a Parish Council to a County Council to compulsorily hire Land. THE local government ACT, 1894: AND THE ALLOTMENTS ACT, 1887. To the County Council for Gentlemen, At a meeting of the Parish Council held on the day of , 189—, at which there was a quorum of members present, I How to put the Acts in Motion. 29 was requested to represent, and I do hereby represent, to you, that there is a demand for allotments under section lo of the Local Government Act, 1894, in the parish of , and that suitable land for such allotments cannot be hired by voluntary agreement on reasonable terms. It was also resolved that I should request, and I do hereby request, your Council to put in force the compulsory provisions of section lo of the Local Government Act of 1894, with the view of providing suitable land for allotment purposes under that section to satisfy the said demand. The total quantity of land desired is acres. Name [Here state whether Clerk or Chairman of the Parish Council.] Address, CHAPTER IV. "acreage" and results. There are those, and especially farmers, who are of opinion that so long as the labourer is in the receipt of a regular wage, allotments are quite beside the question, use- less, and therefore unnecessary. To talk thus is to place a barrier across the legitimate path of progress of the humble cultivator in question ; and we venture to think there can be but few persons who, if the tables were reversed, would entertain the same idea on the subject. Admitting, as we think all reasonable persons must do, the desirability of allotments for the rural working classes, it becomes a matter of importance that the land which a holder desires to cultivate should be neither too far from his dwelling nor too large for his opportunities. It may fairly be urged that an allotment should not be so large as to interfere with the labour required by the farmer who en- gages the service of the allotment holder. Subject to this observation it is very difficult to limit the exact size. We know of a large number of labourers who started with ^-acre plots, but who had to give them up as being too small. They were then allowed to have r-acre plots each, and are doing remarkably well with them. On the other hand we have known far more numerous instances where the quantity of land with which the men started had to be reduced either at their own request or because it was perfectly manifest to 30 ''Acreage" and Results. 31 the owners that they had taken more than that to which they could do justice. Now suppose a man had an allotment of one acre. One- fourth or one-third might very well be put down to wheat. This would go a long way towards providing his family with bread, and would revive the habit of bread-making, which was once general in all rural parishes. We know of an allotment of one quarter of an acre which produced, last harvest, between two and three quarters of wheat and half a ton of straw — which is nearly four times the average produc- tion. Wheat is a crop which requires comparatively little labour, and we think labourers would do well in appropriating a good portion of their allotments to it; they wouldalways find it a profitable crop. If the labourer has a family his children should (according to Mr. J. C. Buckmaster) dibble in the seed, which would save seed, and give a much better yield. The weeding in spring would be a light and pleasant occupation for the family. The seed should be put in as early as possible after harvest. Sown in the autumn, it is more productive than when sown in the spring. If a man has a pig, barley is a profitable crop; and potatoes, peas, beans, turnips, kohl rabi, carrots, onions, cabbages, and other vegetables, should be grown, as may be best suited to the natural capa- bilities of the soil. If the land be wet and heavy, the first thing to consider is drainage. We know of allotments that suffer very much from want of drainage. We should re- commend no man to take land that wants draining. As far as possible the allotment should be cultivated with a spade or digger, and kept as free from weeds as a well managed garden. It should always be borne in mind that every weed takes something from the land which ought to feed more profitable plants. Another very important matter, but often disregarded, is the selection of seed. Good advice 32 Allotments and Small Holdings. on this point may often be obtained from neighbours. A difficulty of the allotment system, however, is concerning the necessary supply of manure, and without plenty of manure, profitable cultivation is not possible. Farmyard manure is out of the question in many cases, and is every- where a diminishing quantity. The quantity obtained by keeping a pig, and the use even of household garbage, etc., is not always sufficient. Artificial manures may, there- fore, supplement natural manures. All the fertilising property of farmyard manure may be obtained from arti- ficials; and here comes the necessity for that kind of knowledge called " science." There are four important con- stituents in all manures — nitrogen, zinc, potash, and bones, or superphosphates ; with these we may grow almost any- thing. No hard and fast rule can be applied to the proper use of manures. Everything depends on know- ledge, and side by side with the allotment system there should grow up a sound system of technical instruction in agricultural and horticultural practice. As to the monetary returns from the cultivation of allot- ments, we may quote the following instance (one of many to the same effect), the particulars of which were supplied to us by the occupier himself. He said that after paying for a considerable portion of the labour incidental to a plot of twenty-six perches, he found, at the end of the season, that his " returns " covered all expenses, rent included, leaving a balance of four sacks of potatoes, and sufficient green- stuff to last through the winter ; and this, taking no account of the produce consumed by his household during the whole of the summer. There could, he said, be no room for the question, " Will it pay ? " And he went on to observe : " The truth is, and I do not exaggerate in assert- ing it, that it can be made to pay fifty per cent.; and those, "Acreage" and Results. 33 therefore, who invest in the Savings Bank, at three per cent., or less, and could manage an allotment, had better re-consider their policy. Should this, however, be doubted, let the cost and production severally, of twenty perches of ground, be estimated, and the judgment of experienced hands be taken upon it, when the doubt will be somewhat dispelled. Take twenty perches of potatoes and we have the following result : — £ s. d. Rent, 8d. per perch ... 13 4 Seed, 20 quarterns of 10 lbs. each 10 Manure, 4 loads at 2s. 2d. each... 8 8 Digging, 4d. per perch, usual price 6 8 Hoeing, at 3s. 4d. per day 6 8 Planting 3 4 Digging, .sacking, and carting ... 8 2 2 16 10 Produce, ID sacks at 8s. 4 Balance to the good ... ... ;^i 3 2 " This is for but one crop, which no experienced ' hand ' would be satisfied with, but would farm for two, and would estimate the winter crop at little less value than that of the summer." A question which has often caused a good deal of won- derment to many persons is. How does the labourer with a wife and family manage to eke out a living, even supposing that he has the advantages which an allotment, properly cultivated, affords ? We confess we have, over and over again, put this question to ourselves, and that, with much experience of the rural labouring class, the wonderment 34 Allotments and Small Holdings. still remains with us. However^ an actual instance of " how it is done," will afford a good deal more interest, instruction, and satisfaction, than any mere pious specula- tion on the subject. We refer to a certain Berkshire labourer, a carter. This man has a cottage and garden and 155. a week. His eldest boy, aged fourteen, who left school at thirteen, has 6s. a week, as helper in a gentleman's stable not far off. There are six other children. Here, then, is a labourer and his family under very favourable conditions. A cottage and garden, 21s. a week "coming in," the parents being sober, industrious, good-living people, the children well brought up, and giving as little trouble as children can. Well, how do such people as these spend their money, and how much can they put by for old age out of the week's wages ? Let us have a talk with the good wife, and she will tell us. We knock at the door, and we soon find ourselves in her house. " Mrs. C ," we say, " we have come to have ten minutes' chat, so sit down in peace for that time and talk to us." We help ourselves to a chair, and the woman takes another on the other side of the fire. A child of a year old, seeing its mother sitting down, crawls towards her and cries to be taken on her knee. As soon as it has got into the coveted place another child of two or three comes toddling up, demanding to be taken up also. This we lift on our own knee. A child who has been playing all the afternoon on a brick floor cannot be lifted on to one's dark cloth clothes without a twinge of dismay. But the little thing's proud and con- tented look as it sits on our knee soon makes us for- get such considerations. Poor people's children, when there are seven in a family, don't often get nursed, and this child, with a knee all to himself, and a strong hand round his back, and his little toes toasting before the fire, is in the " Acreage " and Results. 35 enjoyment for the moment of a happiness which a child of a princely house could hardly ever know. " Well, Mrs. C , how have you been getting on ? " Mrs. C— — says she has been feeling very worn and tired. When we ask her what has thrown extra work on her, she says, " The work has been much as usual, but I've been living extra hard. I've bought a new suit for Edward for Sunday for 22s. 6d. I can't pinch the children to pay for them, so I've had to go without myself." We said that we thought that since her boy had got to work, and was adding 6s. to the family income every week, we had hoped she would have been in comparatively easy circumstances. " It does make a deal of difference," she says ; " of course, he eats more and wears out more clothes, but it's not as dreadful as it was when I had to do all on 15s. I have to buy a pair of boots every fortnight The children have half-a-mile to go to school, and they must be well shod. Their shoes cost me 3s. 6d. a pair, one with another. The husband's come heavier, but they last longer." We suggested, with a smile, that she had not said any- thing about the cost of her own boots. " Oh," she said, "I can't afford to think of myself." " But," we said, " you must be clothed ; how did you buy that dress you have on ? " " This," she replied, " was given me by my sister, who is in service. She had done with it, and gave it me five years ago. I have worn it for every-day ever since. I have un- picked it, and turned it twice in the time." "Come, Mrs. C ," we said, "we cannot make out how things can be as bad with you as all that. Do you mind telling us how you spend your week's money ? " ^6 Allotments and Small Holdings. We look down from her lips the following account of her weekly expenditure : — s. d. Bread ... ... ... ... 7 g Butter, 2 lbs. ... ... ... ... 2 2 Tea, \ lb. ... .. ... ... i o Sugar, 6 lbs. at 2 Jd. ... ... .. 13 Coals ... ... .. ... 2 O Clothing (including 6d. a week to the Clothing Club) ... ... ... .. 2 6 Sick Club, for husband and eldest boy ... 08 Boots, for children and husband ... ... 20 Rice, treacle, suet, etc. ... ... ... 06 Soap, soda, starch, washing-flannel, and scrub- bing-brushes ... ... ... ... o 6 Bacon ... ... ... ... i 5 Total ,. £\ 1 <) "Why,"' we said, "this is pd. more than your income. Where do you get the gd. from ? " "Sometimes," she said, "I make a few pence by doing a little needlework for a neighbour. But it's very hard to keep out of debt. The worst of all is the doctor. If we have him for one of the children, it seems as if we must give up trying any longer, for it's next to impossible to find the money to pay him." "Whose turn is it next," we said, "for a new pair of boots ? " " Jim's ; his father has mended them two or three times, but they won't keep the water out, and are not fit for going to school on wet days." " Well," we said, " we'll stand a pair of new boots for Jim, and then you can add a bit of butcher's meat to his Sunday's dinner ! " "Acreage" and Results. 2)7 In this account nothing has been said about the man's garden close at his door, and supplying fresh vegetables, which just turn the balance against the hard living and enable the children to get food sufficient in quantity and variety to make the necessary bone and tissue required for healthy growth. The children are as bright and happy as any children could be in any class of life. The necessity for continual effort in such a family bears its good fruit ; habits of industry are formed, and the sense of responsibility, and the call which comes to each at a very early age to bear a hand to keep the family ship afloat, give these children an advantage in the struggles of life over those who are nursed in luxury, which, but for their inferior education, would often make them the winners in the race. But who can wonder if some of our rural labourers, under harder circumstances than those that have been described, turn their backs and fly from the battle, seeking the fatal solace of the public-house and ending their days in the union workhouse, or quite as badly in a distant town? CHAPTER V. RULES AND AGREEMENTS. Thanks to allotments undoubtedly becoming more common, the comparative comfort of the allottee's home is also of a higher order. Out of this state of things " Allotment Societies," " Pig Clubs,'' " Cow Clubs," and similar institutions are taking root ; and where we have had an opportunity for inquiry and observation regarding them, they have proved, and are proving, of the utmost value. In the formation of the rules of some of these societies, etc., it has been our very pleasant lot to take part : and in the hope that the details may be useful in other localities, we venture to give specimens of such rules, which can, however, be varied somewhat to meet local requirements. Rules of a Co-operative Allotment Society. The following rules are of a Co-operative Allotment Society, which society and rules have been duly approved and registered in accordance with the law. The rules are of special value as being those of a Co-operative Land Society, the like of which, we believe, does not exist any- where in this country, but in the one district to which the rules especially refer : — I, — The Society is a specially authorised Society, composed of members over sixteen years of age, and established under the special 38 Rules and Agreements. 39 authority of March 23rtl, 1877, for promoting agriculture and horti- culture. z. — The Society shall be called the " Co-operative Allot- ment Society." Its registered office is in England, and is in the county of . In the event of any change in the situation of the registered office, notice of such change shall be sent within fourteen days thereafter to the Registrar in the form prescribed by the Treasury Regulations in that behalf. 3. — This Society is established to provide, by voluntary subscrip- tion of the members, for the promotion of agriculture or horticulture on allotments and lands in the parish of aforesaid. 4. — All money received on account of contriljutions, donations, admissions, fines or otherwise, shall be applied towards carrying out the object of the Society according to the rules thereof. Any officer mis-applying the funds shall repay the same and be excluded without prejudice to his liability to prosecution for such mis-application. 5. — All holders of land held by the Society for small holdings and allotments shall be taken to be members of the Society. But member- ship shall not be conferred by the tenancy of any buildings or lands let by the Society at a fixed rent and expressly stated to be not under these rules. 6. — All applications for Holdings shall be addressed in writing to the Secretary at the Registered office of the Society, and shall be brought before the Committee at their usual meetings; The decision of the Committee upon the application shall be final. 7. — All rents shall be determined by the Committee. 8. — All rents shall be paid to the Treasurer and Secretai'y of the Committee, by whom an account thereof shall be rendered to the Committee. 9.— All rents shall be paid quarterly in advance upon the usual quarter days, i.e., September 29th, December 25th, March 25th, June 24th, and shall be deemed due and payable on those days. 10. — Any member who shall not make his payment at the time it shall be due, shall be deemed to have infringed the rules of the Society, and if such rent shall not be paid within fourteen days, he shall cease to be a member, and his tenancy shall at once terminate. II. — All such rents, together with the rents of all buildings and lands let therewith held by the Society, shall be termed the " Common Fund " to be devoted to the payment of the rent due to the owners of the soil, of rates, taxes, repairs, and cost of management. 12. — If from such "Common Fund" after such payments shall have been made there shall at the end of each year remain a surplus, then shall such surplus or so much of such surplus as is thought desir- able by the Committee, be divided among the members according to the amount of land held. 13. — If such Common Fund be found to be insufficient for such payments, then shall such contribution be required of the members pro rata, according to the amount of land held, as may be necessary to make up and provide for such deficit. 40 Allotments and Small Holdings. 14.— Such contributions shall be paid within 21 days of the time the call is made, or the tenancy shall expire and membership cease, as in rule 10. 15. — Clauses 12, 13 shall not apply to buildings or land let there- with, the tenant or tenants of which are not members of the Society, but pay a fixed rtnt with rates and taxes thereon. 10. — No sub-letting shall be allowed. 17. — A quarter's notice to quit shall be given (in writing) to, or required from each tenant except as in rules 10 and 14, and such notice shall be given by or to the Committee. Such notice to expire at Michaelmas. 18. — Each member shall manure and cultivate his allotment in a husband-like manner, and any member not so manuring and cultivating his allotment, or who, in the opinion of the Committee, shall suffer the allotment to waste to the prejudice of the land, shall be deemed to have infringed the rules of the Society, and the Committee shall give such defaulter due notice to quit. 19. —The members of the Committee, as well as the representatives of the owners of the soil, shall have the right of entry at all times to see the rules of the Society are carried into effect. 20. — No land at present in pasture shall be bioken up. 21. — All other land may be used for the cultivation of any corn, grain, roots, herbs, vegetables, flowers, but no standard fruit trees shall be planted or grown thereon unless the consent of the Committee shall have been previously obtained. 22. — No building frames, or pig styes, shall be erected except with the consent of the Committee, and any such building as shall then be erected, shall be erected in such a manner as to be removable at the expiration of the tenancy. 23. — Such erection may be taken to by the incoming tenant at the wish of the outgoing tenant at a valuation to be assessed by the Com- miltee. 24.— Any crop may be taken to by the incoming tenant at the wish of the outgoing tenant at a valuation to be assessed by the Committee. 25. — All questions and disputes between outgoing and incoming tenant, as well as between other members of this Society concerning their holdings from the Society, shall be submitted to the Com- mittee. 26. — A member shall not dig out sand, gravel, or stone on his holding. But when any holding or allotment shall abut upon or be bounded by any hedge, fence, railing, ditch, gutter, watercourse, or accommodation road, then shall the tenant of such holding or allot- ment be required to keep in repair, trim, clean, scour, and otherwise maintain such hedge, fence, railing, ditch, gutter, watercourse, and accommodation road. 27. — Should any member or members neglect to keep their fences, watercourse, ditches, etc., in proper order, then shall the Committee execute the said repairs and charge the cost to the member or members in default, in proportion or proportions, such proportion or proportions Rules and Agreements. 41 to be repaid at the next quarter day, as if the same were rent, and to be recoverable from the member or members as rent in arrear, 28. — Each member shall be responsible for his boundary posts, and in case of any post or posts being removed, for the expense of re- measuring the allotment as well as replacing the post or posts. He shall further pay a fine of los. to the Common Fund should the Com- mittee consider that such removal has been made by himself or any agent of his. 29. — Meetings of the members of the Society shall be held annually within ten days after September 29th, at such time and place as the Committee may decide, and also at such other times and places as the Committee may think necessary. 30. — The chair at all such meetings shall be taken by the Chair- man of the Committee, or in his absence a Chairman shall be elected by the meeting. 31. — Each member shall have an equal vote. All questions shall be decided by a majority. No voting by proxy shall be allowed. 32. — No new rule shall be made nor any of the rules herein con- tained or hereafter to be made shall be amended, altered, or rescinded unless with the consent of a majority of members present at a general meeting of the Society specially called for the purpose. No amendment of rules is valid till registered. No alterations may be made at variance with the leases or terms by which the land is held from its owners. 33. — At the first general meeting held after the Registration of the Society, a Committee of Management shall be elected by a majority of the Members then present ; such Committee to consist of six persons, who may or may not be members of the Society. A Secretary and a Treasurer shall be similarly elected. Members of the Committee as well as others shall be eligible for these offices. Two Auditors who shall not be members of the Society shall be similarly elected. At every annual meeting a Committee of Management, Treasurer, Secretary and two Auditors shall be similarly appointed for the ensuing year, or in failure thereof those last appointed shall be considered as again appointed, and in case any member of the Committee of Manage- ment, Treasurer, Secretary or Auditor shall die, resign, or be removed prior to such annual meeting, the Committee of Management shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy. There shall be three Trustees, who may or may not be members of the Committee or of the Society. The Trustees shall continue in office during the pleasure of the Society and be removable at a general meeting, and in case of a vacancy another shall be elected by a majority of members at a meeting called for that purpose. A copy of every resolution appointing a Trustee shall be sent to the Registrar within fourteen days after the date of the meeting at which such resolution was passed in the form prescribed by the Treasury Regulation in that behalf. 34. — Meetings of the Committee shall take place at least four times in each year on or about the usual quarter days, i.e., September 29th, December 2Sth, March 25th, June 24th, and at such other times and occasions as shall be deemed desirable by any two members of the 42 Allotments and Small Holdings. said Committee, and at least three clear days' notice of such meeting shall be given to each member of the said Committee. 35' — Three members of the Committee of Management duly assembled at any such meeting shall form a quorum, and shall have full power to superintend and conduct the business of this Society accord- ing to the rules provided for the government thereof, and shall in all things act for and in the name of this Society, and all acts and orders under the powers delegated to them shall have the like force and effect as the acts and orders of this Society at any general meeting. Every question at such meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes, and if the votes are equal, the Chairman shall have a casting vote. The Committee of Management shall convene all the meetings of the Society, or such requisitions as are herein mentioned. 36- — The Treasurer shall in the month of October in every year, and also when required by a general meeting, or by the Trustees or Committee of Management, upon demand made or notice in writing given to him, or left at his last or usual place of residence, render a just and true account of all moneys received and paid by him on account of the Society, and shall also, on a like demand or notice, pay over all moneys and deliver all property for the time being in his hands or custody to such persons as a general meeting or the Committee of Management or the Trustees appoint. He shall be responsible for such sums of money as may from lime to time be paid into his hands by the Secretary or by any person on account of this Society ; he shall balance his cash account monthly and supply the Secretary with a duplicate thereof, and shall, if required, attend every general meeting, and he shall have the care of the common seal. 37- — The Secretary shall be present at all meetings of this Society ; he shall record correctly the names of the members of the Com- mittee of Management or Trustees there present, and the minutes of their proceedings, which he shall transcribe into a book to be authen- ticated by the signature of the Chairman as the proceedings of the meeting ; he shall receive proposals for admission, and demands for allowances of every description granted by the rules ; he shall keep the accounts, documents, and papers of the Society in such manner and for such purposes as the Committee may appoint, and shall prepare and send all returns and other documents required by the Friendly Societies Acts or the Treasury Regulations to be sent to' the Registrar. The Secretary shall on all occasions, in the execution of his office, act under the superintendence, control, and directions of the Committee of Management. 38. —The Trustees shall be admitted to all meetings of the Committee of Management, and shall be at liberty to take part in the proceedings thereof, and vote on any question under discussion. 39. — In case any Trustee being removed shall refuse or neglect to assign or transfer any property of the Society as the Committee of Management shall direct, he shall (if he be a member) be expelled the Society, and shall cease to have any claim on the Society on account of any contributions paid by him, without prejudice to any liability to prosecution which he may have incurred. Rules and Agreements. 43 40. — The Committee shall at its first meeting after the annual Michaelmas meeting elect ii Chairman, who may or may not be a member of the Society; such Chairman shall, continue in office till another election be made by the Committee. 41 . — It shall be the duty of the Committee of Management to pro- vide the Secretary with a sufficient number of copies of the rules, to enable him to deliver to any person on demand a copy of such rules on payment of a sum not exceeding is. for non-memliers, and 6d. for members, and of the Secretary to deliver such copies accordingly. 42. (i.) — The Committee of Management sliall cause the accounts of the Society to be regularly entered in proper books. (2.) — Separate accounts shall be kept of all moneys received or paid on account of every particular fund or benefit assured by the Society, for which a separate table of contributions payable is adopted, distinct from all moneys received and paid on account of any other benefit or fund. (3.)— A separate account shall also be kept of the expenses of management of the Society and of all contributions on account thereof. (4.) — The Committee of Management shall once at least in every year submit the accounts, together with a general statement of the same and all necessary vouchers up to the 29th day of September then last, for audit either to one of the public Auditors appointed under the Friendly Societies Act, 1875, or to two or more persons appointed as Auditors by the members at the meeting next before each yearly meeting of the Society, and shall lay before every such meeting a balance sheet (which either may or may not be identical with the annual return, but must not be in contradiction to the same) showing the receipts and expenditure funds and effects of the Sgciety, together with a statement of the affairs of the Society since the last ordinary meeting, and of their then condition. Such Auditors shall have access to all the books and accounts of tlie Society, and shall examine every balance sheet and annual return of the receipts and expenditure funds and effects of the Society, and shall verify the same with the accounts and vouchers relating thereto, and shall either sign the same as found by them to be correct, duly vouched and in accordance with law, or shall specially report to the meeting of the Society before which the same is laid in what respects they find it incorrect, unvouched, or not in accordance with law. 43. (l.) — Every year before the 1st June, the Committee of Management shall cause the Secretary to send to the Registrar, as re- quired l)y the Friendly Societies Act, 1875, the annual return in the form prescribed by the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies, of the receipts and expenditure funds and effects of the Society, and the number of members of the same up to the 29th September then last inclu- sively, as audited and laid before a general meeting, showing separately the expenditure in respect of the several objects of the Society, together with the copy of the Auditor's report, if any. (2.) — Such return shall state whether the audit has been conducted 44 Allotments and Small Holdings. by a public Auditor appointed under the Friendly Societies Act, 1875, and by whom, and if such audit has been conducted by any persons other than a public Auditor, shall state the name, address, and calling, or profession of each qf such persons, and the manner in which, and the authority under whicK, they were respectively appointed. _ (3-) — It shall be the duty of the Committee of Management to pro- vide the Secretary with a sufficient nmnber of copies of the annual return, or of some balance sheet or other document duly audited con- taining the same particulars as in the annual return as to the receipts and expenditure funds and effects of the Society, for supplying gratuit- ously every member or peison interested in the funds of the Society, on his application, with a copy of the last annual return of the Society, or of such lialance sheet or other document, for the time being, and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to supply such gratuitous copies on applica- tion accordingly. 44. — The books and accounts of the Society shall be open to the inspection of any member or person having an interest in the funds of the Society at all reasonable hours at the Registered Office of the Society, or at any place where the same are kept (except that no such member or person, unless he be an officer of the Society, or be speci- ally authorised by a resolution of the Society to do so, shall have the right to inspect the loan or deposit account of any other member with- out the written consent of such member), and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to produce the same. (l.) — It shall be the duty of the Committee of Management to keep a copy of the last annual balance sheet of the Society for the time being, together with the report of the Auditors, if any, always hung up in a conspicuous place at the Registered Office of the Society. 45. — So much of the funds of the Society as may not be wanted for immediate use, or to meet the usual accruing liabilities, shall, with the consent of the Committee of Management, or of a majority of the members of the Society present and entitled to vote at a general meeting, be invested by the Trustees in such of the following ways as such Committee or General Meeting shall direct ; namely in any Savings Bank certified under the Act of 1863 of Post Office Savings Bank, in the Public Funds or with the Commissioners for the reduc- tion of the National Debt, or upon Government or real securities in Great Britain or Ireland, or in the purchase of land, or in the erection or alteration of offices or other buildings thereon. The Committee of Management, with the consent Oj a Special Meet- ing of the Society called for the purpose, may purchase or take on lease in names of the Trustees any land, and may sell, exchange, mortgage, lease, or build upon the same (with power to alter and pull down build- ings and again rebuild), and no purchaser, assignee, mortgagee, or tenant, shall be bound to inquire as to the authority for any sale, exchange, mortgage or lease by the Trustees, and the receipt of the Trustees shall be a discharge for all moneys arising from or in connection with such sale, exchange, mortgage or lease. Mortgages or other assurances for securing money to the Society Rules and Agreements. 45 may be vacated by a receipt endorsed, signed by the Trustees, and countersigned by the Secretary in the form contained in the third schedule to the Friendly Societies Act, 1875. 46. — The Society may at any time be dissolved by the consent of three-fourths of the members, testified by their signatures to some instrument of dissolution in the form provided by the Treasury Regula- tions in that behalf. 47. — If any dispute shall arise betwreen any member or person claiming through a member or under the Rules, and the Society or any officer thereof, it shall be referred to two Arbitrators, one especially chosen by the Committee and one by the person complaining. And the decision of these Arbitrators or of any Umpire they shall call in shall be final and binding. 48.— This Society is subject to the provisions of the Friendly Societies Acts, except so much thereof as relates to annuities (Friendly Societies Act, 1875, sec. 11, subs. 5), appeals from refusal to register a society or any amendment of rules (sec. 11, subs's. 3 and 9, and sec. 13, subs. 3), or from cancelling or suspension of registry (sec. 12, subs. 4 and part of subs. 5), quinquennial valuations (sec. 14, subs. I. f. and part of I. 1, part of subs. 5 and part of schedule 11), certificates of death (sec. 14, subs. 2, sec. 15, subs. 9, and sec. 36 a), exemption from stamp duty (sec. 15, subs. 2), priority on the death, bankruptcy, etc., of officers (sec. 15, subs. 7), loans to members on life assurance (sec. 18, subs, l), accumulating surplus of contributions for members' use (sec. 19), the amalgamation or transfer of engagements or the dissolution of friendly societies (sec. 24, proviso to subs. 3, and sec. 25, subs. I. c, and subs. 7 and part of schedule II.), militiamen and volunteers (sec. 26), limitations of benefits (sec. 27), payments on the death of children (sec. 28), and societies receiving contributions by collectors (sec. 30). Rules for a Cow Club. Below we have the pleasure of reproducing the rules as adopted upon Mr. Edward Heneage's estate : — I. — That a Cow Club be formed for the parishes of Hainton, South Willingham, Benniworth, Sixhills, Legsby, East Barkwilh, and East Torrington, and be called the "Hainton Estate Cow Club." 2. — That the " Hainton Estate Cow Club" do consist of a President, Treasurer, Committee, and other subscription members. 3. — That the Committee consist of three members from each of the parishes of South Willingham and Benniworth, and two each from the parishes of Hainton and Sixhills, iii addition to the President and Treasurer, who shall be ex-officio members of the Committee, all of 46 Allotments and Small Holdings. whom (except the President) shall retire at the Annual General Meeting of the Club in April, but be eligible for re-election. 4- — That persons eligible to become members of the Club be tenants on the Hainton estate, paying less than fifty pounds a year rent, or such other cottagers in those parishes as the Committee may consider it de- sirable to admit. S- — That the accounts of the Club be balanced on the 31st day Ox March in each year, and duly audited and examined by the Auditor of the Club (who shall be appointed by the Committee), and presented at the General Meeting. 6. — That a General Meeting of the Club be held on some convenient day (to be fixed by the Committee) within the first fortnight of April. 7- — That each member pay five shillings for each cow entered, and a fee of two shillings and sixpence for every change of cow, and that the subscription be one shilling per month, and paid monthly to the person appointed to receive the same in each district, and shall be paid on the first Monday in each month. 8. — That the Committee shall appoint one of their number in each district to receive members' subscriptions, who shall transmit them be- fore the end of the first whole week in each month to the Treasurer, who shall deposit the same in the Post Office Savings Bank before the last day of the same month. 9. — That any member neglecting to pay his subscriptions for three months in succession shall be warned thereof by the receiver of sub- scriptions in his district, and if he does not pay up the arrears on the first Monday of the following month, he shall cease to be a member of the Club. 10. — That anyone desirous of entering a cow shall give notice to the members of the Committee in his district, who shall examine into the age, health and value of the cow proposed to be entered. II. — ^That no cow be entered in the Club above the age of seven years, nor of the less yearly average value than twelve pounds. 12. — That no member can receive any benefit from the fund whose cow dies of milk fever or lung complaint, if it can be shown that to the ojvner's knowledge the said cow has had the disease before. 13. — That a marking pincers be provided for the Club for the purpose of marking the cows entered. 14. — That each cow passed by the Committee shall be marked on the ear on the milking side with the Club marker, and no cow shall be deemed duly entered until so marked. 15. — That when any cow is taken ill the owner shall apply to the person who keeps the drinks in his district, who shall go and see the cow, and, if he thinks it necessary, shall direct the owner to call in the farrier without loss of time. 16. — That in case of sudden emergency it shall be in the power of the Committee to allow the owner the cost of any necessary medicine administered, though the Club farrier had not been called in. 17. — That any member of this Society losing a cow be allowed from the fund the sum of twelve pounds. Rules and Agreements. 47 l8. — That no new member receive any benefit from the fund until his cow has been in the Club one month, and the same rule to apply to every additional cow entered. 19. — That no member shall receive any benefit from the Club whose cow exceeds 14 years of age. 20. — That a member losing his cow, and making a claim upon the Club for the same, shall be entitled to the skin, but if anything can be made of the carcase the money arising therefrom shall be paid to the use of the members' fund. 21. — That a Farrier be appointed by the members of the Club, and that a person be appointed in each district to keep a supply of drinks for the use of the Club. 22. — That should any dispute aiise as to the interpretation or appli- cation of these rules, the same shall be settled by the Committee, whose decision shall be final. Rules for a Pig Club. The following are the rules which regulate the manage- ment, etc., of the Pig Club to which nearly all the villagers of are proud to belong : — I. — This Society shall be managed by a Committee of no less than five members and a Secretary. 2.' — Any person becoming a member of this Society shall pay one shilling as entrance fee. 3. — That any person wishing to be admitted a benefit member must apply either at the March, June, September, or December Meet- ings, and shall not be entitled to receive from the Fund until he has been a member six months from the date of his admission. 4. — That every member shall pay sixpence quarterly as contribu- tion money, to be paid in advance. 5. — Any member not paying his subscription every quarter, when due, shall be fined twopence, and if not paid the next quarter night shall be excluded. The quarterly meetings are the first Monday in March, June, September, and December ; the two former months from seven to eight, the latter from eight to nine. 6. — As soon as a member finds his pig unwell he shall inform the Committee, and they shall see it at their earliest convenience, and decide on what course is to be taken ; if thought requisite to kill, and he does not consent, if death ensues the loss shall fall upon himself ; when a dangerous case happens, however, that there is no hope of recovery, he need not acquaint the Committee, but have it killed with- out delay, and, if not to his advantage to keep it, he may dispose of it. 48 Allotments and Small Holdings. A Bill always to be produced when a sale is effected, then the loss, if any, to be made up. 7. — If a member is known to ill-treat his pig, or use any unfair means whereby its death is occasioned, he shall not be entitled to any benefit from the fund. 8. — If at any time the fund shall be insufficient to make good a loss, the Committee shall have power to raise an equal levy of all the members. 9. — If a member keep more than one pig, he must insure all, or point out to two or more of the Committee which he will insure; 10. — If a member's pig die in less than a month after he purchased it, he shall receive the same as he gave for it ; if over that period, it shall be valued, and he shall receive according to the value. II. — If a member purchase a pig, which shall be proved to have been ill at the time he purchased it, and he knew of it, he shall not re- ceive any benefit from the Society. 12. — When the Committee are requested to attend a case, having made an inspection, they are to vpithdraw from the spot, and privately consider their verdict, and whatever decision they may come to they must inform the member accordingly. 13. — A General Annual Meeting will be held on the first Monday in January, when the Committee and Secretary will be chosen from the members present, to serve the next twelve months ; five of such Com- mittee shall be sufficient to transact business together ; any member of the Committee absenting himself on two successive occasions, when ordered to attend, shall be fined threepence. 14. — Any member obstructing the business of the Society at any meeting thereof shall be fined threepence. 15. — The Committee are particularly requested to show no partial- ity, but act honestly to all, and endeavour to the best of their judgment to give satisfaction ; they will be required to investigate, strictly, where there is a doubt or suspicion, in order to ascertain how the case stands ; if there is not sufficient proof to convict the member, their decision must be given in his favour. 16. — This Society shall be provided with a box from the funds, to contain the books of account, money, etc. ; the box to be secured by two locks, each lock to differ in its ward ; the keys to be kept by two members of the Committee, who shall be present at the quarterly meetings when the contributions are paid, or send their key, or shall be under a fine of threepence, and the box shall be left in the cave of the Secretary. 17. — That if any loss occur not clearly provided for in these rules, the Committee may decide the matter in a fair and just manner between the losing member and the Society. 18. — The Committee to be chosen once a year, as their names stand in the book, or forfeit twopence. 19. — All fines will be strictly enforced. Secretary Rules and Agreements. 49 Agreement between a Landlord and Tenant for an Allotment. Memorandum of Agreement made the day of one thousand eight hundred and V.etween (hereinafter called " the Landlord ") of the one part, and (hereinafter called " the Tenant ") of the other part. Whereby the said parties mutually agree as follows : — The Landlord agrees to let, and the Tenant agrees to take and occupy, for one year from the day of ^ next, and so on from year to year, determinable as hereinafter mentioned, ONE GARDEN ALLOTMENT or Piece of Ground, No. — , near to the Road, in the Parish of , in the County of , being one of the Allotment Gardens there held under the Landlord, at the yearly rent of The said rent to be paid annually on the day of , and the first payment of the said rent to become due and be paid on the day of next succeeding the date of this Agreement. The Landlord to pay all rates and taxes chargeable upon the said Allotment. The Tenant to dig and trench, and also to properly cttUivate and manage the said Allotment, and to keep the Land free and clean from weeds. The Tenant not to assign or underlet the whole or any part of the Allotment without the consent, in writing, of the Landlord. Either the Landlord or the Tenant may determine this tenancy, at the end of the first or any subsequent year, by giving to the other six calendar months' notice, in writing, enrling with the current year ; and, if the Tenant become bankrupt, insolvent, or make any arrangement with his creditors, then the current year's rent shall become immediately payable, and the Landlord shall have power to take immediate posses- sion without any notice. It shall be lawful for the incoming Tenant of the said Allotment to enter upon it directly the outgoing Tenant has removed his crop, and in no case later than on the day of , immediately preceding the termination of the tenancy hereby created, for the pur- pose of cultivating the same. If, on the day of in any year, an Allotment shall be neglected and in no way prepared for a crop, the Landlord shall have power to take immediate possession of it, without notice, and to re- let it at once. The Tenant shall at all times co-operate with the Landlord and with the other Allotment-holders in protecting the property of the several Tenants, and in preventing idlers and children from trespassing. A temporary erection, for the shelter and protection of tools only, is to be permitted on the said Allotment, except with the written consent of the Landlord or his Agent. As vidtness the hands of the parties, (Signature) D 50 Allotments and Small Holdings. Agreement to let a Cow to a Labourer, etc. The following is a copy of an agreement which has been used with great success : — Agreement between of . hereinafter called " the owner," of the one part, and of hereinafter called "the hirer," of the other part: Whereby the said owner agrees to let, and the said hirer agrees to hire, from the ist day of Maj', 189 — , from year to year, a three years' old Irish heifer. No. 150, coloured red and white, weighing 50 imperial stones, value ;^io (being four shillings per stone), the property of the said owner, at the yearly hire, and subject to the conditions hereinafter mentioned, that is to say : 1. — The hirer shall pay to Mr. , of , or other agent for the time being of the owner, for the use and produce of the cow (No. 1 50) the clear annual sum of two pounds and ten shillings, being equal to one shilling per imperial stone of the live weight of the heifer on the 1st of May, 188 — . 2. — The cow shall at all times be properly fed and carefully attended to by the liirer, who shall provide pasture for summer, and not less ^ than 250 imperial stones (being five times the cow's weight) of good hay for its winter maintenance ; and in addition to hay and grass, the hirer shall provide 50 imperial stones (the cow's weight) of cake, meal, and bran, to be given during the year. 3. — The cow to be sent to a yearling bull the second time it comes in service after calving, and to be " dried " six weeks before it is due to calve, and whilst dry to be allowed 2 lbs. per day of linseed cake in addition to hay or grass. 4. — In case of illness or accident, immediate notice thereof shall be given by the hirer to the owner, or his agent, and the hirer shall, if necessary, promptly employ an experienced farrier, half of whose charges shall be borne by the owner, and half by the hirer ; and should the illness be pleuro-pneumonia, or any other contagious disease, the hirer shall give immediate notice to the Government inspector for the district. ^ 5. — In the event of permanent injury to, or death of, the cow from illness or accident, the loss shall be borne by the owner ; but the hirer shall not be entitled to any compensation whatsoever from the owner, or to any allowance, except as provided lor in the fourth condition. 6. — The hirer shall have the right, on giving three months' notice, to purchase the cow at the end of the first or any year for £,\o, being the price at which it was valued on the 1st of May, 189—, as named above. 7. — This agreement may be terminated on the 30th day of April in any year, either upon the owner giving to the hirer, or the hirer giving to the owner, or his agent, three months' previous notice in writing ; and on the expiration of such notice the cow shall be returned to the Rules and Agreements. 51 owner at the hirer's expense, provided always that, in the event of the cow being due to calve before the expiration of such notice, the cow shall be returned to the owner one weelt before it is due to calve. 8.— The hirer may return the cow to the owner at any time during the year without notice, provided it is fat enough for beef, and if it realises more than its value when hired, he shall receive any additional price that it makes. g. — If and whenever the hirer shall be adjudged a bankrupt, or commit any act of bankruptcy, or if his affairs shall be liquidated by arrangement or composition, or if he shall make any assignment for the benefit of creditors, the owner may resume or take possession of the cow, wherever the same may be, without making any compensation whatsoever, and may plead the leave and license of the hires for any trespass committed or complained of in resuming or retaking such pos- session. (Signed). (Owner). (Signed) (Hirer). Dated this 1st day of May, 189—. Witness. We understand that the system of hiring out cows has been adopted by the owner, who uses the above Agreement, for some twelve or thirteen years, and has been in every sense a success, the cows paying a profit both to the persons who hire and to the person who lets them. It seems that the capital invested has yielded during the first five years 5 per cent, per annum, and afterwards no less than from 7^ to lo per cent. The hirer, it is argued, should have the privilege of purchasing the cow at the end of the year, at the price it was valued when hired out, an arrangement which is liberal and conceived in a large- hearted spirit. A good dairy heifer increases consider- ably by the time she has her second calf, and the hirer, therefore, who has this privilege, can secure a cow for say £ <'=>' <''^' "'=- °^ ="b.section I of the aU section 9 of the said Act. FORM 8. Application for Registration of the Executor or Administrator of a Deceased Proprietor. Land Registry. land transfer act, 1875, and small holdings act, 1892. No. of TitU A. B., of- the Executor [Administrator] of CD., of- deceased, the registered proprietor of the above title, hereby applies for registration in his place. Dated the of 189 — . [Signature of Executor (or Administrator) or his Solicitor.] FORM 9. Statutory Declaration of Identity of a Testator OR Intestats. Land Registry. land transfer act, 1875, AND SMALL HOLDINGS ACT, 1892. No. of Title I of declare as follows ; - solemnly and sincerely 140 Appendix. I knew C. D. of- -the Testator [Intestate] named in the Probate [Letters of Admiuistiation] now produced and shewn to me marked . The said C. D. was, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the same person as the C. D. of [Registered address] named in the Register under the title above referred to And I make, &c. — FORM 10. Additions to Instrument of Transfer on Sale under Section 15 of "The Small Holdings Act." (l.) After " In consideration of ;^ " add "and by "virtue and in pursuance of Section 15 of The Small Holdings Act, " 1892." (2.) At the end of the Instrument add "to hold the same free "from all obligations and liabilities under or by reason of the said "Act." APPENDIX D. TYPES OF ENGLISH PEASANTRY. I. The above is a portrait of the small-hulder (Mr. B ) referred to on page 90. 141 142 Appendix. TYPES OF ENGLISH PEASANTRY. II. Appendix. 143 TYPES OF ENGLISH PEASANTRY. III. Printed by Cowan &* Ca, Limited, Perth.