of extensive schemes of land settlement on ordinary agricultural 
small holdings. 
Forest Holdings. 
82. We have also examined a schetne for settlement on the land 
in connection with the afforestation programme. This scheme 
possesses certain advantages over an ordinary land settlement 
scheme from the point of view of men with families from the 
depressed areas. Small holdings are formed in close proximity 
to forests, on plots of agricultural land acquired in connection with 
land for afforestation. The holder is guaranteed a substantial period 
of work for wages on the forest land in the year and there are 
opportunities, too, for members of his family to find work. Large 
families are an asset; relatively little agricultural experience is 
required, but ability to undertake heavy labouring work is essential. 
The cost of forming holdings (about £625 per holding, subject to 
some return in the shape of rent) is very considerably less than 
the cost of ordinary small holdings; the risk of failure is not great; 
and the chances of finding suitable families among the unemployed 
in the depressed industries, and particularly in the mining industry, 
are good. The work done by the holder is, moreover, work that 
must be done in the ordinary course of planting and maintaining 
the forests, which are national assets appreciating steadily in value 
with the years. On an examination of the possibilities, we have 
come to the conclusion that the settlement of families on forest 
holdings might be made to provide a very useful, even if limited, 
contribution towards the problem of the older men. Some steps 
have already been taken in the recruitment of families from the 
depressed areas to take up holdings formed as part of the normal 
programme of the Forestry Cominission and a number of families 
have in fact taken up holdings. What has already been done has 
shown that there are many families in the depressed areas who 
would make suitable forest holders 
83. The Forestry Commission are completing a ten-year pro- 
gramme in 1929 and a further ten-year programme will then be 
started. This programme includes provision for the systematic 
formation of forest holdings. We are so impressed by the possi- 
bilities of the forest holdings schems that in our view every effort 
should immediately be made to create during the next three years 
sufficient holdings for at least 1,000 families from the depressed 
areas. This could be done partly by making up past arrears and 
partly by accelerating the creation of holdings under the planting 
programmes, expanded as may be necessary to maintain a proper 
balance between forest and holdings, bv the acquisition of 
additional land for planting purvoses.