HOW TO NATIONALIZE THE LAND 281 



enjoyment of the public generally. Where extensive 

 tracts of moor, bog, and mountain prevail, as in many 

 parts of Ireland, the reclamation of some of this might be 

 encouraged by granting definite portions rent-free for a 

 certain term of years, and at a low ground-rent afterwards, 

 on condition of enclosure and cultivation ; but in all these 

 cases the letting should be public— by auction or tender, 

 and such as to allow of no chance for jobbery or favouritism. 



The question of private dwelling-houses in towns 

 remains for consideration, and would have to be decided 

 in accordance with the same general principles as govern 

 the occupation of land generally — namely, that the 

 occupier or holder of any land from the State, should 

 reside on or near it, and be the real owner of the 

 fixed property upon it. Everything would therefore be 

 done, as town and village lands fell in, to facilitate the 

 acquisition of houses by all classes of the community. 

 Ground-rents would be fixed at a low rate, proportioned 

 somewhat to the character and density of the population ; 

 while the first acquisition of the houses would be rendered 

 easy to the purchaser of the tenant-right by fixing the 

 official valuation (to come in action on the failure of 

 private agreement with the heir of the last owner), at a 

 small number of years' purchase of the average rental or 

 rateable value. Legalized companies might also be 

 allowed to advance money for such purchases ; but in all 

 such cases a sufficient margin would have to be left to cover 

 the possibility of loss if the tenant were ejected and the 

 house sold for payment of ground-rent, which would 

 always be a first charge on the property. 



There would, however, remain a considerable number of 

 persons who require temporary abodes, and these might 

 be accommodated in two ways. There would, first, be 

 large buildings let out in lodgings either in flats or other- 

 wise; while in locahties where numerous small houses 

 already existed, persons specially licensed might be allowed 

 to hold the land on which a number of these stood, on 

 condition that they personally superintended and managed 

 them, were responsible for their repair and sanitary 

 condition, and made the letting and supervision of house 



