-81-Al-Jadida by encouraging tree planting, and if its efforts are crowned with success, then it the farmer and the merchant, so that it becomes a link between the two parties. (14) Distribution of Land I explained in a previous report that the policy the Egyptian government has followed in recent years in its efforts to keep small holdings in their possession and the prevalence of land in Egypt. This all reasonable facilities for the use of European capital in improving The issue is of utmost importance in my opinion, whether from an economic or political point of view. There is no need for me to delve into the arguments for or against small holdings, as they are known to those who have studied economic issues. However, I will mention a point of particular importance considering the current situation in Egypt. The race to raise rents has not yet subsided significantly between landowners and tenants, despite the country not being overcrowded to a sufficient degree. The population has increased, and the area of uncultivated land that can be cultivated has decreased, even to the point of disputes between landowners and tenants, as has happened in other countries and caused much hardship, especially in India and Ireland. The best way to postpone the occurrence of this dispute and to mitigate its severity, if it cannot be avoided, is to refrain from taking measures that lead to the extinction of small landowners. The considerations that support this policy are no less strong than the economic considerations. I do not doubt that something will cut short the transition of Egyptians in the future to true administrative exploitation and their use of what they can one day achieve of self-governance. They will be divided among the people in general, such as small landowners, especially if there are many large landowners who differ greatly from Europeans. These considerations are among the reasons that have occurred. I have been monitoring the movement of land ownership for many years. The following table shows the distribution of land among large and small landowners on January 1, 1906, and January 1, 1896. The year 1896 was chosen because it was the first year in which foreign land ownership was established. Government lands are not included in this table. (11)