Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/229

 SIZE O.F LziND HOLDINGS 217 lnd tioa tM[ four-fifths o[ the land belongs o aboa 7,000 persons. Consequently Ihere has been in Ettglaad no quos- of excessive sub-division of hm':l,---indee:l ho problem boou the exac reverse, viz., lie over-concenmioa of ia the hauds. of a few p3ople; .ad ho lmd legLsla- hat has boon anderakoa or pt'oiocte:l ia r,ceut ye,rs bean iaoudecl o oac,:tr:go aa.t prom.a3 sub-division of land and [o bring small holders into exis[ence. In Franco the situation is the opposite of that in England. The Code Napoleon oilacts that on tim deq. th of the 5ther J}roperty mast be equally divided amoJtgst all , th.e ehddren, a:ld lintits t!l.a paresfrei power of testamentary disposition of property to a part equl to one child's share. This l:w was bequeathed to France by the authors of the French Revelation. It is designed to promote equality, atul to secure the riglite of the whole eomataaiy in the distri- bution o! public wealth. Even before the French Revolution them were many small holdings ia Fra:mo, but it is undoubtedly he cruse ha ho operation of his law has caused and co:liaues o cause a groa sub-division (an..4 incidentally fragmentation) of holdings. I has roughly been estimated  that in France t. here are 5,000,000 land owners who own estates. averaging 7. acres each, 500,000 who o.va estates averaging 75 acres each, and 50,000 who own estates veragiag 750 acres each. I is asserted tha together wi[h the sub-dividing action of the l[w, another conselitist- lug force is ia operation, which arises from the fmct that the peasants are very hard-working and frugal, and manage to rove enough money to purchase small ptmlels of land adjoht- lug their own, and to round off their own sillall properties. The fac th:t in France f,milies are assrally salmll also .mit/gaos ho evil. Sill in some pars of l?rauco ho hold- Ings have been sub.divided and fragrneaecl to aa exotlt which is very prejudicial o effective production and a do- mand has arisen  in France lot a modification of the law which loads to such result. s, with a view o ereathtg peasan .holdings of the right size and shape, and to rocoasti[uthtg rate solid holdings the existing.scattered plots. This demauJ has never been mot ia fall byle gislaion, but Aots passo'.l in 1908, 1909 and 1910 allow every f,rmer to voluntarily place beyond he possibility o[ expropriation and seizure for debt a holding o[ a v,dua not oxceodm.- 8,000 h'anes I M. de vene Enom Rra de la France 1875 i M, Jouier Enom Bma[ gos 8t-855 (t908). Bulletin of Enomie d il Intellen for DemMr t910[ isaed by the Iurntlond Inztu of Agrioaltu,e[ me. . Joier Em Bra, es 844-B55 (1), Bulletin ot Eoono1o   Iulu tor F,bmy 1914,