Land Problems and National Welfare 



make an important difference in the whole state- 

 ment. 



I must bear witness that in my own case 

 Somerset House dealt very fairly with me in the 

 matter of estate duties. I was not satisfied 

 with the way in which the Estate Duty Schedule 

 had to be filled up and so I refused to sign it ; 

 because it did not, to my mind, meet or make 

 clear the exceptional circumstances in which 

 the estate was placed. 



Although I was told that it would be useless 

 to submit any corrected figures I persisted and 

 went personally into the case. The net result 

 of my attention was that the sum paid amounted 

 to very much less than that which appeared in 

 the original schedule. 



I do not mean to imply that I was treated 

 with any special favour : there may have been 

 exceptional features in my case ; the estate 

 paid neither more nor less than was legally 

 required of it. To have paid more would have 

 involved it in ruin. 



Succession duties are in a different category, 

 for here the Somerset House Authorities have 

 no discretionary powers and can only carry 

 out the requirements of the Statute Law of the 

 land. That law compels the owner of a rural 

 estate to pay a heavier duty than he would have 

 paid had he inherited a similar sum invested 

 in securities. 



20 



