II 4 THE AGRICULTURAL CLUB. 



After referring to a speech by Lord Lee, in which he stated 

 that " there should be some recognised form of arbitration 

 open to tenant and landlord alike, to which either of them 

 can appeal on a matter of rent, and which will have the 

 power of fixing a rent up or down as the justice of the 

 particular case may require," Mr. Langford proceeded : 



In cases where notice to quit is given, or where the renewal 

 of a lease or tenancy is refused, in order to raise rent, some 

 machinery must be provided for ascertaining whether the 

 increased rental asked is, having regard to all the circumstances, 

 reasonable or not. If the increase be found to be reasonable, 

 then no compensation for disturbance should be payable, but 

 direction should be given that no increase of rent is to be deemed 

 reasonable which is shown to be consequent upon capital out- 

 lay by the tenant, whether it be in the form of money or brains. 

 Should the proposed increase of rent be deemed unreasonable, 

 then the case should be treated as one of capricious notice or 

 refusal to renew a lease or tenancy, and compensation should be 

 payable accordingly. 



The machinery proposed by the National Farmers' Union 

 for dealing with disputed matters is the institution of a panel 

 of arbitrators ; all cases would go before a single arbitrator, 

 who would be assisted by two assessors one selected by the 

 landlord and the other by the tenant. The assessors would 

 simply act as technical advisers, and the decision in every 

 case would be that of the arbitrator alone. Obviously, some 

 such machinery must be set up, as much in fairness to the land- 

 lord as to the tenant, and the reference of disputes to an arbitrator 

 for decision cannot be held to savour in any way of a " rent 

 court." 



No compensation should be payable for disturbance where 

 notice is given because of bad cultivation. Again, in order 

 to eliminate any question of doubt as to the fact, landlords 

 should be placed under an obligation to give reasons for giving 

 notice to quit or refusing to renew a lease or tenancy. 



In the little book in which the National Farmers' Union has 

 put forward its policy for the restoration of agricultural pros- 

 perity, the important clauses of the Agricultural Holdings 

 Act are considered seriatim, and I shall not weary you with a 

 review of the amendments suggested, but I should like to refer 

 to those connected with the first schedule to the Act. 



Means should be adopted for enabling necessary improve- 

 ments comprised in Part I of the first schedule to be executed 

 in the event of the refusal of the landlord to give his consent, 



