SMALIv HOLDINGS IN SCOTLAND II5 



of law appeal may be made to the Court of vSession, who are finally to de- 

 termine them without further appeal to the House of Lords. 



Ihree members form a quorum, and one or more members may exer- 

 cise delegated powers subject to review by the full Court of three or more 

 members. The officials employed by the Court include clerks, surveyors, 

 assessors, et< ., but unlike other courts of law they have no executive of- 

 ficers tc put their decrees in force. These decrees are executed by the sher- 

 riff of the county in which the holding concerned is situated. 



The work of the Court falls under three main heads — ■ 



(1) Applications for the determination of the status of existing hold- 

 ings and for the fixing of a fair or an equitable rent. 



(2) Applications relating to other powers exercisable by them in re- 

 lation to existing holdings. 



(3) Applications by the Board for Compulsory Orders in relation to 

 schemes for the constitution of ne\s- holdings or the enlargement of existing 

 holdings. 



The headquarters of the Court are in Edinburgh, but most of their 

 work under heads (i) and {2) is done locally, and under the provision for the 

 exercice of delegated powers two or even three sections of the Court may 

 deal at one time with cases in different districts. Applications are heard 

 in some convenient place, and in most cases the holding is inspected by the 

 Court before they give their decision. 



§ 12. Work of the land cot'rt. 



When the Land Court came into existence there were 634 cases left 

 over by the Crofters Commis.sion, and up to 31st. December, 1912, the date 

 at which their first report is made, they had received i, 808 further applica- 

 tions of all kinds. Of these 1,569 were from the crofting counties, 146 were 

 from the county of Bute, and 93 from the remaining counties of Scotland. 

 The overwhelming preponderance of cases from the crofting coiinties is 

 due to the fact that the operation of the Crofters Act had for 25 years 

 been familiar in these localities, and the more extended rights conferred by 

 the new Act were at once taken advantage of, while in the rest of Scotland 

 the procedure was unfamiliar, and small holders did not at once avail 

 themselves of their rights. The one exception is the county of Bute, or 

 rather the island of Arran. Small holders there had long felt it a griev- 

 ance that they were excluded from the operation of the earlier Act, and 

 they at once took steps to secure the benefits conferred by the new Acts. 

 During the year 19 13 the number of applications received from the other 

 counties of vScotland has rapidly increased. 



Up to the end of the year 1912 the Court had dealt with 646 applica- 

 tions. Of these cases, 256 were first applications by landholders for the 

 fixing of a fair rent. The original rents amounted altogether to £2,227 

 and the fair rents fixed to £ 1,568, a diminution of 30 per cent. The arrears 

 amounted to £1,722, of which 84 pei cent, was cancelled. There were 



