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Address on the land question (1883)

Address on the land question 1883 cover scan

Jesse Collings' response to the issue of land, allotments and food production followed a perspective that in many ways seemed contradictory to the dominant urban, technological view of the time.

19th century Birmingham manufacturers often grew in profit by drawing labour from those who were displaced from rural farms and villages through either poverty or broader cultural changes. For Collings, making the town a more healthy and attractive metropolis was not enough. He believed that the flow of workers who were abandoning the land should be stemmed by providing schemes that gave better access to allotments and small holdings for rural inhabitants. In turn, this would mean less pressure on central resources in town like Birmingham, with a rapidly growing population located where food could be scarce.

The image of the front of Address on the Land Question in 1883 shows Collings taking a leading role in this debate.

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