ABSTRACT
The fortunes of the farming industry fluctuated. No one seriously supposed that it would play a major part in the economy, although the problem of feeding the country in time of war did cause occasional alarm. The scale of North American farming meant that its wheat would continue to supply the British market while a Free Trade economy remained. Under Free Trade, the British farming industry could not compete; perhaps the story would be different after 1931. The first Town Planning Act, 1909, did not extend effective statutory control over the use of rural land. The 1919 Housing and Town Planning Act made it compulsory for some of the larger authorities to prepare planning schemes and encouraged consultation between neighbouring authorities. The urban and rural district councils were also reorganized, though they were kept separate. Urban overspill had not yet eradicated the differences of ethos and outlook between town and country.
