64 PROPOSED TKNANOY REFORMS 



certainly not going to propose, namely, that all the 

 occupancy and lease-hold rights in these Provinces were 

 abolished ; and that in substitution therefor all tenants 

 would in future hold land on the system o the yearly 

 tenancies above outlined. The success of the system would 

 depend very much upon the attitude of the landlords. If 

 they continued in a conservative fashion keeping down their 

 personal expenditure and therefore their demands from 

 their tenants, it would be found to work quite satisfactorily. 

 The incoming tenant would certainly pay to the landlord 

 the compensation for improvements which the landlord 

 might have to pay to the out-going tenant. Assuming him 

 to be a good landlord he would not very often have to pay 

 compensation for disturbance because in cases where it was 

 manifestly right to eject the tenant he would apply to the 

 court to avoid the compensation, and this would be granted 

 immediately if he had a clear case. Ejections for other 

 causes would not be frequent because, if the landlord were 

 to seek to raise rents only when it was reasonable to do so, 

 the tenant, being aware that his rent really wus below the 

 market value, would agree voluntarily to a reasonable en- 

 hancement rather than be ejecte.d. 



Landlords who, besides managing their estates in this 

 conservative manner, were anxious to improve the agricul- 

 ture of their tenants would have every inducement to do so. 

 They would have freedom to select the best tenants by gra- 

 dually ejecting those who failed to adopt ordinary precautions 

 in cultivation and simple improvements stipulated for in the 

 agreements. They could distribute good seed to their tenants, 

 and provide them with better cattle by maintaining a stud 

 farm in which selected animals were bred. They could invest 

 money in wells and other improvements. Knowing the 

 advantages of being tenants of such an estate there would 

 be competition always amongst tenants to obtain holdings ; 



