The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-12-11 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL ALLOTMENTS.

A dinner of the Constitutional Union was held on
Tuesday evening at St. James's Hall, London. Mr. H.
Chaplin. M.P., was in the chair, supported by Mr.
Finch-Etatton, M.P., the Earl of Onslow, Mr. R. G.
Mowbray, M.P., Mr. C. A. Whitmore, M.P., Sir John
Heron-Maxwell, Mr. J. D. Mayne, and a good gather-
ing of the members of the Union. After the loyal
toasts,
The Chairman opened the subject of discussion,
that of Agricultural Allotments. He ob,erved that a
great many Acts bad been passed in relation to them.
As long ago as 1819, in 1831, 1832, 1836, and 1845
measures were passed dealing with allotments. The
provisions of the 1845 Act in relation to allotments
were amended in 1876. There was also an Act in
1873, and another in 1883, relating directly and ex-
clusively to allotments, called the Allotments Exten-
sion Act. That showed the question was not by any
means now to Parliament. An Act was passed
in 1885, called the Houses of the Working
Classes Act, which was carried by a Conserva-
tive Government, and which enabled sanitary autho-
rities who chose to do so to build cottages with a
garden of not more than half an acre of land. The
important feature of the Act was that it allowed land
to be taken compulsorily by sanitary authorities for
this purpose, the provision of gardens being placed on
precisely the same footing as the provision of cot-
tages. None of these Acts, however, had proven
thoroughly effective, and consequently the question
had now cropped up again, and was debated all over
the country, as well as recently "n the House of Com-
mons; while it was understood that the Government
intended to deal with the question by legislation.
There were many reasons why that was very desir-
able. Owing to the stress of agricultural depression,
the labourers were receiving less wages and had
less work. many were out of work altogether, and
before the winter was over the number so un-
employed wo .1d be largely increased. There never
was a time, therefore, when allotments wouli be
of more advantage to them than now, when
the labourers could devote to them their spare time.
Allotments in this country had always been more
numerous than was popularly supposed, and they had
very considerably increased of late. There had been
no accurate returns on the subject for 13 years until
his noble friend Lord Onslow had obtained fresh re-
turns, when he (Mr. Chaplin) had the honour of being
connected with the Agricultural Department of the
Privy Council—returns which had been since ampli-
fied by Lord Spencer. They bore out the view he
(Mr. Chaplin) had always entertained as to allot-
ments being more numerous than was supposed,
while leading him to the conclusion that there was
still a considerable unsatisfied demand for them.
Labourers and farm servants in round numbers were „
about 900,000, while the returns showed that, includ-
ing potato grounds, cow runs, and detached allot-
ments of all kinds, there were something like
820,000 occupations in the hands of labourers,
farm servants, and cottagers. As to the size
of the occupations, they ought not to be less than
a quarter of an acre, but the returns showed tbat
apart from the attached or cottage allotments there
were no less than 250,000 field allotments of leas than
a quarter of an acre. There were 270,000 attached
allotments described as not exceeding one-eighth of
an acre. So that it might be taken that in the vast
majority of cases allotments did not exceed a quarter
of an acre. In that case, out of the 830,000 occupa-
tions, no less thai 520,000 were smaller than tint
which had been universally recognised as a minimum
of what ought to be the size of allotments. That fact
was amply sufficient to justify her Majesty's Govern-
ment introducing a measure to deal with the question.
His views had been embodied in a bill, and, in his
opinion—though he did not regard " compulsion" as a
blessed word, like Mr. Chamberlain—no measure could
be thoroughly effective which did not embody safe-
guarded compulsion as a last resource. If the Govern-
ment, therefore, declined to accept the principle of
compulsion, it would be far better to abandon the idea
of any legislation upon the subject. He had enders-
Toured to press that view on the Cabinet of the
Government to which be had belonged, but it had
met with vehement—he might almost say uncompro-
mising—opposition, Lord Salisbury, in particular,
utterly declining to have anything to do with compul-
sion. He (Mr. Chaplin) would only bring it into
operation as a last resource, and strictly limiting it to
bonk-fide allotments as distinguished from small hold-
ings. Any bill should seek to induce landlords to
provide allotments by voluntary agreement with the
people. He saw no reason why they should not do
so, as on the sordid grouud of rent-roll allotments
brought in as good if not a higher rent than agricul-
tural land. But when all other means faded, and it
was necessary to deal with cantankerous landowners
local authorities should have compulsory powers to
acquire land for allotments in the general public
interest.
Lord Onslow said that considerable advance had
recently been made in regard to this provision of
allotments, wholly by voluntary means. The supply
was indeed rapidly overtaking the demand, and in
some cases had already overpassed it. Compulsion
might be necessary as a last resource in a few
instances, but in the great majority of cases landlords
desired to provide allotments wherever required by the
labourers. All clases, including farmers, were now
in favour of allotments, and, therefore, her Majesty's
Government ought to have little difficulty in bringing
forward a practicable, workable measure to produce
this much to be desired result.
Mr. Finch-Hatton concurred in the necessity, for
compulsion as a last resource in any proposed legisla-
tion, and invited town dwellers to fall in line with the
Conservative party in carrying out legislation on the
subject on the lines indicated.

_
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