Agriculture in Great Britain not only employs fewer cultivators per I,000 acres than in highly organized countries, but it is practically without the network of subsidiary industries that give vast employment in other countries. In consequence, its absorbing power is low and the net result is that agriculture and other rural industries cannot absorb more than about half of the country-born children educated in rural schools.
From the diagram it will be seen that, of the five nations under review, not only has Great Britain the fewest agriculturists, but also the lowest number of persons who make their living by manual work. One reason for this is that Great Britain has been and still is the emporium of the world, and the great distributing nation. Although this may justify a larger number of non-manual workers than exists in other countries, it is clear that the number engaged in agriculture is too small.
The fourth cause of migration from the country must be put down to the prevailing system of education, which has not tended to create a "land sense"; rather has it influenced the rising generation away from the land. This defect is being overcome gradually, but has not yet disappeared. It certainly is not surpris ing if rural teachers, seeing the unorganized state of agriculture, and the consequent lack of opportunity, use their influence in favour of an urban career—at all events for their more intelligent pupils.
For the fifth cause of the depletion of the British country population, one must look into past history. The enclosure acts necessitated by the need for higher production to feed the growing towns, were operated in such a way as to reduce the number of those directly interested in the land, and to turn the agricultural labourers into a landless proletariat entirely dependent upon wages. These evils were avoided in Germany, for instance, by taking effective measures to enable the "ex-commoners" to be come small occupying owners.
Remedies.—The mere enumeration of the causes of depopula tion indicates the possible remedies.
Since agriculture is the main industry of the country-side, it is essential that it should employ the economic maximum of culti vators; but it must be on the basis of an organized and not of an unorganized industry. The form that organization should take, however, is important. The State, in the opinion of the present, writer, should show itself generally sympathetic and should re move any existing barriers to voluntary effort, but it should not attempt to organize the industry; this can be done only by agriculturists themselves through the medium of co-operation carried out in co-operative creameries, bacon factories, sugar, jam, fruit bottling and pulping factories and the organization of marketing generally.
Since population follows capital there should be a definite system of agricultural credit, independent of, but working har moniously with the system of urban credit, and upon a basis of co-operative control. Without exception in all other European countries it has been found necessary to base the organization of agriculture upon a system of organized rural credit. This has
not been clearly apprehended in Great Britain, and, in conse quence, much time and effort have been wasted.
Pari passu with higher organization comes a higher degree of intensification, since then it pays to make two blades grow where one grew before, and with increased profit more hired labour can be employed and at better wages. This in itself, however, is not sufficient ; since enclosure divorced the labourer from the land, it is necessary to undo the process and give him easy access to land. Allied to this is the question of house accommodation. With more available houses, many young men would doubtless marry and remain in the country.
As already stated, several potent forces are at work making the country-side brighter ; but something more than that is needed —community life must be developed. The countryman must be made to feel that he is indeed a member of the rural community, and has his part to play in it. It is really easier to create the community spirit in rural than in urban districts; and that spirit is a valuable national asset.
Factory and Farm.—Finally, much more could be done to encourage dual occupation. In Bohemia, the factories are not all crowded into great cities, making life hideous, but scattered throughout the country districts; the industrial buildings, not at all unpleasing, are surrounded by a kind of garden city, and em ployees who wish it can have a plot of land to cultivate. In the new industrial Italy, workers are frequently allied to both factory and land. Again, the majority of Antwerp dock labourers have a piece of land which they can till when shipping is slack. In England a certain amount of fortuitous dual occupation exists wherever allotments are provided, and there are one or two cases where work on the land has been definitely organized in connection with an urban industry. But there is room for great development. It is of extreme importance to enable men to occupy themselves profitably and wholesomely when otherwise they would be workless and deteriorating. The proper use of the land makes this possible. In this connection a sound motto would be: "ruralize the townsman." But nothing should be allowed to divert attention from the main problem : the great need for increasing the number of culti vators both at the centre and in the outlying parts of the world. Certain writers have put forward the danger of a world-wide shortage of food due, they say, to the disappearance of virgin soil and to the land under cultivation having reached its limit of production. The answer to this statement is that in the first place, the limit of production is still an unknown quantity; every new discovery extends it. Secondly, of the area of the world suitable for white habitation, only a fraction is as yet under cultivation. But the danger does not lie here, rather it lies in a possible shortage of cultivators.