78 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



prospect of advancement, in stepping stones 

 to something better. Could you have a 

 better stepping stone for the enterprising 

 man than putting him in the position of 

 absolute owner of a little farm of his own ? " 

 Lord Lansdowne makes reference in that 

 announcement to the small holdings system set 

 up in Ireland, and his proposals for small hold- 

 ings (which seem to be the official Unionist 

 proposals) need to be considered in the light of 

 the Irish system — the most comprehensive of all 

 the small holdings experiments in the Empire. 

 [It was a matter of great interest to me as an 

 observer from abroad to notice how in carrying 

 it out the British Government had not hesitated 

 to embark on an experiment in Socialism, which 

 would be counted rather too daring by any 

 responsible Labour Party in Australia.] 



The Irish land system of to-day is founded 

 on the following legislation : — 



Gladstone's 1870 Act gave tenants the right 

 to compensation for improvements, and for 

 disturbance if their leases were not renewed. 



Gladstone's 1881 Act provided for " fair 

 rents ' assessed judicially, fixity of tenure, 



