NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13455, 4 June 1907, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

SMALL HOLDINGS IN GREAT . BRITAIN. '';-,'' ;; '/

Tire British Board of Agriculture and! Fisheries have issued a return showing, for each of the years 1890, 1895, 1903, and 1906, the number of agricultural. holdings of various sizes. The particulars for 1890 are partly estimated; but the particulars for 1895 and for 1906 may be compared as follows:— , .• • Great Britain. Size of Holding. 1895. 1906. Above 1 and not above 5 , ' acres'....... ... ...;... 118,000 110,000 Above 5 and not above 50 acres .;; :.. ..." ... ... 235,000. 232,000 Total, above 1 and not >" ■ above 50 acres ... ... 353,000 342,000 Above 50 and not above 300 acres -... , ... ,',... ~. ... 148,000 151,000 Above 300 acres ~.'.;. . ,19.000 18,000 I Total,- above 50 ■ acres ... 167,000- 169,000 Total, of all sizes «. ... 520,000 511,000

It will thus be seen that there was a net decrease of 9000 in i the : number of holdings, resulting from an increase in the number of holdings between 50 and 300 acres, and a decrease in tho umber of all other holdings, particularly in; those of from one to five acres. Taking the first , two groups together, it appears that the proportion of " small holdings" as usually defined, i.e., holdings of from one to 50 acres, has sunk from 68 per cent, of the total number- of holdings in 1895 to 67 j per cent, in 1906. The decrease lias been | greatest (seven per cent.) in the ono to five acre class.' As regards the five to 50 acre'class, while there has been a decline of nearly three per cent, in England, there has been an actual increase in Wales (where more than half the total number of holdings are in this class), and in Scotland, particularly in the "crofting" counties./ Thus in Inverness-shire, the number of five to 50 acre holdings has risen from 3590 in 1895 to 3792 in 1906, and is now over 52 per cent! of the total number of holdings in that shire. It should be mentioned that, the area of the holdings does not include the area of mountain or heath grazing land attached to the holdings.

DIVORCE IN AMERICA. When the statistics which the American Census Bureau is gathering on marriage and divorce during the last twenty years are published they are bound to excite intense interest throughout the country is well as abroad. Between the years 1007 and 1887 about 328,000 divorces were granted in the United Stales. It is too early to tell exactly what the figures will show from 1887 to 1907, but it is worth while noting that . Mr. North, director of the census, believes that the number will approximate 1,200,000. This estimate is based upon statistics before him, and is considerably better than a guess. Between 1G67 and 1887 there was an average of 33 divorces' for every 100,000 of population. Mr. North's estimate for the period of 1887 to 1907 is about 70 divorce's , for every 100,000 of population, or more than double the "number for tho first period. It is well known that divorce prevails to a larger extent in the cities than in the country districts. • Sufficient statistics have been gathered to show that Chicago will head the list of cities in the number of divorces —in fact, will disclose that she has granted three times as many divorces as New York city in proportion „to the population. Director North had hoped that the statistics for the entire country would be completed by this time, but many of the county, clerks in the .; various ■ States, have not '. made their returns.. The task has been gigantic. This is evident- from the "fact! that it as necessary jto obtain the co-operation of more than 2000 clerks of counties that did not contain large cities. The Census Bureau , last July sent out 150 special agents in the larger cities to obtain data. Their work has progressed excellently, "and within a brief period the bureau,, will issue a bulletin upon it. It is quite certain that the revelations will quicken the sentiment for a better regulation of divorces, but it is -very doubtful whether it will lead to ' a movement for a constitutional amendment, to enable : Congress to handle the subject from top to bottom. It is, perhaps; more likely that the investigation will bring about some degree of uniformity in the laws of the individual States.