Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-17

If the plans of David Lloyd George
materialize, England will become the
greatest landlord in the world. lie
advocates the naturalization" of all
agricultural land in England, Scot
land and Wales, and the renting of
small holdings to farmers. If this be
Socialism, King George may make
the most of it. On the face of the
proposal it appears to be a govern
ment enterprise to break up large
landed estates and distribute the
acres in small plots to actual pro-
ducers of farm crops. There may
be other features of the plan which
will put a different face on the
matter
In Mexico the government IS con-
fiScatfng Cor "expropriattngD the
large estates, at 10 per cent above
the tax valuation. paying for the
acres in bonds running a long period.
1t sells the land in small allotments
to the poems, or small farmers. and
gives easy terms for payment. Eng
land would not sell its land at all,
but rent it and inspect the farm
methods of the sitting tenants. so
that If they fail to produce the aver
age yields, they will be displaced by
other and better farmers.
1t is not land speculation but crops
of food that England has in mind,
for England is dependent for food
upon its imports. She realizes, after
her bitter experience during the
World War. that she is at the mercy
of besiegerS in time of war; and,
therefore, she hopes to increase home
production of necessaries of life.
Economists differ as to the effec-
tiveness of the Lloyd George plan to
meet the food crisis. Some deny that
it Is going to stimulate farming, and
allege that, on the contrary, it is
far more than it can the tenant
farmer.
Land holdings in England are on a
very different basis from farm owner
ship in the United States. Immense
acreage lies tied up in family estates,
which are entailed and which have
been in the same families for cen
turtles. Sport plays a much larger
part in England than in America.
What farmer in the United States
rides to hounds" or counts his pleas
ants and foxes as important items of
the sporting rights are more highly
considered upon many an estate than
the potatoes or corn.
Food production is at so low an
ebb in England that most land pays
its owner rental not netting ! per
cent on it's investment. England is
a land of idle estates, with mansions
closed and broad fields in grass, in
place of food crops. Since the adop-
ton of the free trade policy as to
food, under the Manchester plan re-
| pealing the Corn laws in 1846, said
to have been for the purpose Of driv-
ing farmers into industry to supply
hands for the factories, farming has
| not prospered Now that the indus
tries are depressed, by loss of the
European export markets since the
World War, there are millions of un-
| employed in England, and it is argued
that If they could be encouraged to
go back to the land, they could raise
their own food and add to the gen.
eral supply.
If it be true that tenants are today
getting the use of the land at a rate
which pays the owner only l per cent
net, it is quite conceivable that the
Lloyd George project may receive
stronger support from land owners
DESTROYS of unloading their land hold
ings than from tenants who would be
expected to buy the land at a rate
| which will pay ) per cent on the bonds
which the government proposes to
give the former owners.
In many cases the rents to the
same tenants have not been raised
since the great depression in the
nineties. So long as the tenant could
continue the use of the land at a net
rental of I per cent he was not de-
| sirous of purchasing, but when, in
1923. Sir Philip Snowden introduced
| a bill in Parliament to nationalize all
land, there was period of uncer-
! fainty md some tenants m tbe, tina N