The evening times., 1898-09-14
FARMS IN LONDON.
Legislation Wanted to Lease Land
for Agriculture.
From the Pail Mall Gazette

From the Pail Mall Gazette.)
For five years in succession the county
council has unsuccessfully attempted to
get a bill passed through Parliament 10
be called the Allotments Uondonl act
The Earl of Darlington has had charge
of the measure in the House of Lords
and the noble earl has stuck TO his guns
in spite of opposition. but il has never
got any further. In consequence of de-
bates on foreign policy and the vaccina-
tion act. the dropping of this important
bill excited very little attention at the
time. Strange as it may appear. the
London county council stands in worse
position than any other county council
in the kingdom with regard 10 the ques-
ton of allotments. The Allotments act
does not apply to London; the county
council. therefore, can only proceed IN
der The Small Holdings act of 1892. I'm
der this act the council is empowered TO
purchase or lease land for small aIlot-
ments These aIlotments are 10 exceed
one, but not to exceed fifty. acres in area.
or If they exceed fifty acres they are to
be of the annual value for the purpose
of income tax, not exceeding ESQ. The
council may assist tenants to purchase
their holdings by advancing part of the
purchase money. which must not exceed
four-ffths. and the council is to fix Il
rent which will guard against loss There
is a growing demand for small allotment Is
in London, and the council has found the
Small Holdings act a cumbersome and
expensive method of dealing with ten
ants. In London one principally asks for
small plots-say twenty perches-which
can be cultivated effectively by a work
ingman in his leisure time in the even
ing and on Saturday afternoons: and as
the council can only let plot exceed
ing one acre they cannot deal directly
with this class of tenants Thus, two
acres would have to be let or leased 10
one tenant. and he would have 10 sub
let the land to sixteen tenants, If each of
them wanted a plot of twenty perches.
The system of subletting has its
abuses. which the council now seeks to
eliminate. The restrictions of which com
plant is made would undoubtedly have
been removed if the bill which Lord Car
rington introduced into the House of
Lords had become law The bill propos-
ed also to empower the council to pur-
chase or hire land, both within and with
out the county, for the purpose of aIlot-
nents and to improve the land by drain
ing, the making of roads, and in other
ways. Another important provision was
that no allotment should exceed one acre
in extent. and no person should be per-
nnitted to hold any allotments which to-
gether exceeded one acre, or sublet any
allotment, or any part of it. 1t was also
proposed to give the council power to
sell any land which was no longer need
ed for allotments or to exchange it for
other land more suitable for the purpose
The bill will. it is understood, be REIN
troduced next year.
The county council does not. of course
let alIotments with the view of making
a profit out of them. but for the purpose
of providing a pleasant. useful and prof
liable occupation for the artisan classes
living in the large suburban districts, to
whom the pursuits of gardening are a
never-eading source of delight. Were il
not for the initial expense of draining
and fencing the land and making roads.
the allotments would be profitable in a
financial sense, and when the capital
charges have been cleared Off then the
revenue will exceed the expenditure Dur
ing the past year the working of the
councils allotments at Millmeads (West