THE ALLOTMENT QUESTION.
[TO THE EDITOR OF TEE " SPECTAT01‘.1 SIR,-I am obliged for my sins to farm 175 acres of land at Sharnbrook, in Bedfordshire. I employ on the farm per- manently three adult labourers, who are all heads of families.
If I were compelled by law to give each of them, rent fiee, half an acre of land, it would cost me about 45s. a year, assuming the land to be worth 30s. an acre, which is the out- side value, although it is of high quality. At the present time they can hire in the village good land at 60s. per acre. About thirty acres are let in allotments at that price, and I believe more could be obtained if there were a demand for it.
If half an acre were given to each of them, rent free, then, as compared with paying 60s. an acre for it, it would benefit them to the extent of 30s. a year each, which is something over 6d. a week. If they paid the agricultural value, say, 15s. for half an acre, the benefit would be something over 3d. a week.
But, I believe, a quarter of an acre is considered by the best authorities the maximum amount the agricultural labourer can cultivate with advantage to himself, so that the benefit would probably amount to only 3d. or 11d. a week, according to the mode in which the comparison is made.
I do not suggest any such alteration of the law ; but even if I were compelled to give the half-acre to each labourer, I should not anticipate for myself any very terrible results, either socialistic or otherwise ; nor, I am bound to add, should I look for any very vast improvement in the condition of the labourers. Are we not a little too excited on the subject of allotments P—I
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