2 9 8 ' PRIVATE ENTERPRISE' 



be quite content with tenancy. In the Evesham 

 district sentimental aspirations for ownership have no 

 great force among small holders, who find that their 

 interests are well protected by what is known as ' the 

 Evesham custom.' In effect, an outgoing tenant, 

 giving up possession of his own free-will, arranges with 

 the incoming tenant as to the amount of compensation 

 the latter shall pay him for his improvements, and then 

 introduces his proposed successor to the landlord, who 

 is morally bound to accept him at the same rental, 

 unless for some adequate reason. Under these normal 

 conditions, the landlord is not concerned at all in the 

 question of compensation. It is only when he himself 

 gives notice to the tenant to quit, or refuses to accept 

 the outgoing tenant's nominee, that a claim for com- 

 pensation is made upon him. 



How the system operates is shown by the follow- 

 ing concrete case : A labourer at Evesham rented 

 3 acres of land, at 303. an acre, and planted it with 

 asparagus. He cultivated it for three years, spending 

 at least 10 a year on artificial manures, but then 

 decided to give it up. By that time, however, he 

 estimated that his tenant-right was worth 160, cash 

 down, and he found someone who was quite ready to 

 take over the holding on those terms. This person he 

 introduced to the landlord, the landlord accepted him 

 at the same rental, and the new-comer was well satisfied 

 with the arrangement, inasmuch as he expected to 

 make on the first year's crop of asparagus as planted 

 by his predecessor a sum fully equal to what he had 

 given for the tenant-right. 



The ' Evesham custom ' has, in fact, greatly facili- 

 tated the expansion of small holdings in that district, 

 where growers on a considerable scale are also quite 

 content to rent substantial areas of land on an annual 



