ox AGRICULTURE TO IRELAND 33 



with countries more happily situated impossible. Yet the land 

 problem in Ireland has some lessons for all land reformers. It 

 has emphasised the fact, scarcely needing emphasis, that a system 

 of land tenure, based on contributions of capital from landlord and 

 tenant, which forthwith become the property of the landlord, is in 

 the long run impossible. It has proved that dual ownership in 

 Ulster, the province in Ireland where it got a trial, was successful, 

 and contributed not a little to the prosperity of the north of Ire- 

 land. It has proved the potency of a great land reform agitation 

 to create occupying ownerships and the willingness of the taxpayer 

 to come to the aid of the farmer, thus establishing a precedent that 

 may be applied to other sections of the country when the necessity 

 arises, and it has shown the costliness of the procedure, for, what- 

 ever may be the case when compulsory powers of purchase are 

 granted, the tenant in Ireland without such powers has had to pay 

 more than the market value for his land. It has proved the 

 futility of attempting to run occupying ownerships and tenancies 

 side by side, when it is cheaper to become an occupying owner 

 than remain a tenant. It has proved these things. But it has 

 not proved whether single ownership, where the landlord has 

 provided everything, or dual ownership, where landlord and tenant 

 have provided everything, is preferable. We would have wished 

 at the present time that it had thrown light on this subject, but 

 it throws none. It has had no opportunity of doing so, single 

 ownership of the kind referred to being little known in Ireland. 

 Nor has it proved whether tenancy or occupying ownership is 

 the preferable system of land tenure. We are writing with the 

 report of one of the Irish Land Commissioners before us, in which 

 he proclaims the contentment that has followed in the train of the 

 land-purchase movement. But it is too soon to speak of the 

 result of that movement. Years will have to elapse before any- 

 thing reliable can be said on the subject. Much, however, has 

 been done to make land-purchase in Ireland a failure. The 

 inequalities caused by the most confusing mass of legislation we 

 ever tackled are a source of great trouble and irritation. The 

 responsibility of proprietorship has been thrust upon the people 

 before they were ready for it. They are paying more for their 

 land than they would have paid under any of the Land Purchase 

 Acts since 1885. Much is also being done to make land-purchase 

 in Ireland a success. The Department of Agriculture is leaving no 

 stone unturned to get the schoolmaster in front of the legislator, 

 which is the supremely important work just now. If it succeeds 

 in educating the people and in developing the characteristics that 

 make for success, if it is able to develop minor industries, such 

 as fruit-growing, market gardening, dairying, and poultry rearing, 

 so that the produce of the land may be increased, if these 

 industries are run on co-operative lines, so that better prices may 

 be obtained — if these things are done and done in time the land 

 purchase movement may succeed and Ireland may be another 

 witness to the " magic of property." 



