My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

—RADNORSHIRE 83nominal rent ;—considering all these circumstances,and further, that those who perform what is fundamentallythe most important and the most beneficialof all work, the production of food, should be able toobtain at least the necessaries of life by that work, andsecure a comfortable old age by their own fireside,how would any lover of his country think that suchlands ought to be dealt with in the best interests ofthe whole community ?Surely, that the very first thing to be done shouldbe to provide that all workers upon the land, eitherdirectly or indirectly, should have plots of from oneto five acres, in proportion to the amount of suchwaste and the needs of the inhabitants. The landthus allotted to be held by them in perpetuity, fromthe local authority, at a low rent such as any farmerwould give for it as an addition to his farm. In caseswhere the amount of common land was very great inproportion to the population, some of the most suitableland might be reserved for a common pasture,for wood or fuel, or for recreation, and the remainderallotted to applicants from adjacent parishes wherethere was no common land.Another thing that should be attended to in allsuch inclosures of waste land is the preservation forthe people at large of rights of way over it in variousdirections, both to afford ample means of enjoyingthe beauties of nature and also to give pedestriansshort cuts to villages, hamlets, or railway stations.One of the greatest blessings that might be easilyattained if the land were resumed by the people tobe held for the common good, would be theestablishmentof ample footpaths along every railway inthe kingdom, with sufficient bridges or subways forsafe crossing ; and also (and more especially) along