UNEXHAUSTED IMPROVEMENTS 185 



Mr. W. T. Scarth (Durham), Mr. W. Biddell, M.P. (West 

 , -Suffolk), Mr. Thomas Wilson (Leicestershire), and Mr. Jabez 

 Turner (Huntingdon). This Committee elected Mr. Lipscomb 

 as their Chairman. 



1884. 



The report from this Committee was presented in June 

 and adopted in November, after two long discussions. To 

 enable them to draft their report the Committee invited local 

 Chambers to report on local methods and conditions. The 

 replies to this invitation made it clear that there was a general 

 agreement with the idea of formulating a basis of compensa- 

 tion by way of schedules ; but, while agreeing in principle 

 with the proposals of the two Chambers named in the last 

 paragraph, numerous proposals were elicited which varied 

 .somewhat in detail. The Newcastle-on-Tyne Farmers' Club 

 and the Cheshire Chamber suggested an entirely different 

 system of assessing unexhausted values, which the Committee 

 could not classify with the others. These proposed that all 

 farms should be classed under three heads, according to their 

 general condition : (i.) representing good management ; (ii.) 

 moderate ; (iii.) bad. The Newcastle Club also proposed 

 that the manurial value left by the consumption of purchased 

 foods should be based on the results arrived at by the most 

 eminent chemical authorities. The Committee said : " While 

 the experiments upon which the second suggestion rests are, 

 in our opinion, of great value, they are not as yet sufficiently 

 conclusive to warrant our advising a departure from the first 

 method, which has been hitherto general ly recognised and is 

 more easily understood." 



The foregoing quotation raised a question which is dealt 

 with at length in subsequent paragraphs ; but it shows 

 how far this Club was in advance of the rest of the country 

 at that time. 



The Committee presented with this report tables showing 

 the scales of compensation in vogue in the districts covered 

 by the Chambers replying to the questions sent out, and 

 recommended " as a fair and reasonable scale of compensa- 



