TENANT-RIGHT AND THE THREE F'S. 189 



would have no place. The first step, where Tenant- 

 right exists, is that to hire even fifty acres of land a 

 man must have large capital to pay for the Tenant- 

 right, besides enough to make all permanent improve- 

 ments himself, and of course farm the land afterwards. 



This brings me to another objection. It is never 

 worth while for a landlord to lay out money in im- 

 provements where there is Tenant-right. Practically 

 he could not raise the rent enough to pay the interest 

 on any large outlay for improvements, and if he made 

 such, he would be adding to the value of what the 

 tenant would have to sell at leaving. There can thus 

 be no sufficient profit to the landlord to lead him to 

 lay out money in improvements. 



Thus all money laid out in improvements in every 

 case would have to be found by the tenant alone. 

 Those of us who now do all improvements ourselves 

 would cease to do so. The greater number who now 

 pay part of the cost of improvements or draining, 

 since the Land Act law don't, would also stop doing 

 so. Loans for draining, of which so many have 

 been taken by landlords, would cease to be taken; 

 though all the available capital of landlords and 

 tenants together for generations is wanted to make 

 the necessary permanent improvements on land in 

 Ireland. Those who wish the landlords to leave the 

 country, could not do better than promote the exten- 

 sion of Tenant-right. Whoever knows how much the 

 good working of every part of Local government is 



