THE I. AND REFORM AND ITS RESUI^TS UP TO THE PRESENT \2J 



been abolished : it was only reorganized and the peasants under the new- 

 system are certainly a hundred per cent, better oS. 



The total abolition of it vvas not possible and article 3 itself provided 

 for it, since in some cases it is absolutely impossible for the peasant to 

 pay in money. But, in that case, a new and quite independent contract 

 must be entered into, in which the remuneration is fixed so as never to be 

 inferior to that established by the Regional Commission (i). 



The law therefore lays it down that rent must be paid only in money 

 or only on the " tarla " system and abolishes all the old systems, complic- 

 ated by numerous supplementar3^ obligations imposed on the peasants who 

 at last paid more on these supplementary grounds than for the rent 

 itself. The law finally provides that all agricultural contracts must be 

 written and not verbal, as used to be the custom. 



The most important part of the law is that relating to the formation 

 of communal grazing grounds (Chapter III). The lack of grazing ground 

 for the peasants' Uvestock gave the landlords and tenant farmers an op- 

 portunity of concluding contracts entirely in their own interest, since, if the 

 peasant can cultivate land at a distance from his residence, he cannot lead 

 his livestock to graze at great distances. 



This obliged the peasant to accept burdensome conditions both in 

 regard to the land he cultivated and the pasture ground necessary for his 

 livestock. The 1907 law therefore established in every commune, on land 

 taken from the large landowners, communal grazing grounds of an area 

 sufficient for the grazing of two oxen and a cow per family. 



This provision it was not, however, easy to carry into effect. The Govern- 

 ment, well aware of the necessity of estabhshing communal grazing grounds, 

 had only two courses open to it, either to oblige the landlords to lease to 

 the peasants for fifteen or twenty years a certain proportion of their land 

 for grazing purposes, or to expropriate a part of their estates. The first 

 solution presented drawbacks of various kinds, such as the possible distance 

 of the grazing ground offered for lease from inhabited centres, especially 

 when it formed part of estates of a considerable area; the Hkelihood that the 

 landlords and large tenant farmers would only lease the worst of their 

 land for grazing; and the frequency and ease with which difficulties might 

 arise between the landlords and tenant farmers on the one side and the 

 peasants on the other. 



Therefore, the second course was followed, that of expropriaton. But 

 also this was fraught with difficulties, owing to the constitutional op- 

 position made by the conservative parties as representing the interests of 



(i) Article 65 of the law provides that "in every province a special commission shall be 

 formed, composed of five members, namely, of the agricultural inspector, two delegates of the 

 landlords and two delegates of the peasants. The Agricultural Commissioner shall be president of 

 the Commission ". " The object of the Commission shall be to fix the minimum wages and the 

 •maximum rent, in accordance with the yield of the land. The Regional Cormnission shall 

 be in session every year from November loth. to December 15th. A special session may be 

 convoked by the Agricultural Inspector whenever he deems it necessary" (art. 69). 



