Bisbee daily review., 1916-03-10
BACK TO LAND IS REMINISCENT OF BIG
 POLITICAL BATTLE
Reform Is Called By-prOduct Of War; Compared To DenmarkS System. Great Land Owners May Favor

LONDON, Feb. 15.-(Correspond-
 ence of the Associated Press)-The
 back to the land scheme, of which
 forecast has been given out by the
 Board of Agriculture, recalls one of
 the bitterest political controversies of
 the days before the war. When
 Lloyd George then proposed to tax
 the unused land, such as game pre-
 serves and ornamental parks, the
 same as the titled, to revenue the
 great holdings and tax the unearned increment, he aroused not only the op-
 position but the bitter hatred of the land classes. His measure did in fact strike at the basis of the arista- cratic system, which under the old
 regime had got off comparatively light as regards taxes. Llody Georges measure was formed with a view to
 making the holding of unused land
 for pleasure or speculation so eX- pensive that subdivision and sale would result and the number of small landowners be vastly increased in proportion as the great estates dwild- led. But now even a stronger mea, sure is proposed. It provides for the acquisition of land by state compul- sory purchase for cutting up into small farms. Yet now scarcely a protest is heard.
 Such reform is one of the by-prod ucts Of the war. It is seen that Eng land has heretofore produced too little of her foods. Also work much be pro- vided for discharged soldiers whose ideas and ambitions have expanded. l otherwise they will emigrate to the States or the Colonies. So, to keep England going after the war, the landlords must sacrifice part of their historic holdings, and they con- sent to the sacrifice.
 War has taught the English people | their absolute independence on for eign countries for their food supplies. | One or her providers is little DeH- mark. Yet the reason why Denmark, | ~ 1AA-eAAA AAA e-A Neaf AiAl Ito wv AA e0N ! population to support, can ship out so much fcod lies in the fact that Den mark years ago passed just such ' law as England contemplates now. From a country of few landlords Den i mark became a country of small in- dependent farmers. Strangers from a3 well as from America go | through English country without be- ing impressed by the relatively small | amount in cultivation. England | seems to be cut up mostly into fine 1,d pactUre parks with thick turf and | stately trees with the rest in green pastures. h home produced foods, perhaps mutton leads the list. with beef next. Denmark sends cured | pork and butter, Holland butter and | cheese, France fruits, early vegetables Erica and Australia fruits out of sea son and Canada and America those | in season. Cold storage meats are brought from the United States, AuSl4 ala anu llE Al siam | from the same countries and Russia. But the great estates have produced | most of the worlds famous breeds of | stock, and their parks are source of pride even to the people who feel the economic injustice that results.
 Lloyd Georges data collected for | his own land scheme has been of i'm mense value to the committee framing | the new law. Purchase by condemaa- ton and the sale to small farmers has already worked out successfully in the case of Ireland.
 Among the industries the committee i has in mind is poultry, pig and calf raising, fruit cultivation, bookkeeping, dairy farming and market gardening. | The establishment of agricultural l credit banks and the development of buying and marketing are in view.
 As the state is to become the sole ! and permanent landlord, the state | must necessarily provide capital for the land and the erection of buildings | This will be done through the co-opera- tive banks and credit stores. Such institutions could investigate needs | of each man and weed out unfit set | tiers.
 Possibly the great land owners wei come this scheme in preference to the