PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY
63
The Small Holdings and Allotments Act, 1908, makes the County Councils and the Councils of County Boroughs responsible for the pro- vision of small holdings and allotments. A small holding is from one to fifty acres, or even more, in extent, but its annual value must not exceed 501. An allotment may be provided up to 5 acres, but the Council is not obliged to provide one of more than an acre, and the a[)plicant must be of the agricultural labouring class and resident in the borough, district, or parish. In England and Wales up to the end of 1911, County Councils had acquired or agreed to acquire for small holdings 124,502 acres, of which 78,871 acres were purchased for 2,493, 121Z., and 45,631 acres leased for 55,637^. per annum. Of this land, 94,154 acres were let to 6,916 small holders; 186 acres sold to 13 small holders; and 4,597 acres let to 39 Co-operative Small Holdings Associations, who sub-let the land to 732 of their members. The land unallotted was estimated to provide for another 2,000 applicants. In addition, 2,644 a})plicants had acquired 82,000 acres from private landowners. Up to the end of 1911, County Borough Councils had acquired for small holdings 1,303 acres, let to 161 individual tenants, and 63 members of Co-operative Associations. The total number of allotment authoiities under the Act of 1908 is approxi- mately 8,300. The total qunntity of land let for allotments by the various local authorities in England and Wales up to the end of 1911 was 29,604 acres, let to 109,191 imlivithial tenants and 22 associations. The Councils owned 6,693 acres and leased 22,911 acres.
Ireland.
Number and Size of Holdings in the year 1911 : —
Size of Holdings
Leinster
Munster
Ulster
Connauglit
Ireland
Not exceeding 1 acre .
30,416
27,361
21,976
7,153
86,906
Above 1 and uot exceeding 5 acres
17,381
12,734
20,041
12,198
62,354
„ 5 „ „ 15 „
25,049
19,799
62,934
46,572
154,354
,, 15 ,, ,. 30 „
22,246
24,606
53,684
36,303
136,839
,, 30 ,, ., 50 ,,
15,521
22,674
25.469
12,720
76,384
,, 50 ,, „ 100 „
14,446
23,228
14,768
6,537
58,979
„ 100 „ „ 200 „
6,934
9,480
3,653
2 722
22,789
,, 200 ,, ,, 500 ,,
2,703
2,654
987
1,401
7,745
Above 500 acres ....
439
387
314
470
1,610
Total No. of Holdings.
185,135
142,923
203,826
126,076
607,960
In 1890 the total number of holdings was 524,210 ; in 1905, 593,804 ; in 1911, 607,960. Of the holdings in 1911, 389,751 were owned and 218,209 rented.
The Irish Land Acts are of two classes — The Fair Rent Acts, and the Land Purchase Acts. The Fair Rent Acts commenced with Mr. Gladstone's Land Act of 1881, which gave the Irish Tenant the ' 3 Fs '—Fair Rent, Free Sale and Fixity of Tenure. Under this Act, the great body of agricultural tenants had Fair Rents judicially determined. The rent is fixed by the Land Commission for terms of 15 years, and, on the expiration of each term, a new rent may be fixed for another teim. Up to March 31, 1912, 454,425 applications and consents to fix such Fair Rents for a First Statutory Term
