190 LAND TENURE 



the tenant to the unexhausted value of any agricultural improve- 

 ment executed by him on his holding ; (ii.) the abolition of the 

 law of distress for rent ; (iii.) the equal division of all local rates 

 between owners and occupiers." 



It may be recalled that this Conference, though arranged 

 by the Central Chamber, was not a Chamber meeting. This 

 motion, however, was moved by Mr. Carrington Smith, of 

 Staffordshire, seconded by Mr. W. H. Lander, of Shropshire, 

 both Chamber men, and was supported by Mr. C. S. Read. 

 The three points were put separately, and each had a number 

 of dissentient hands held up against it. 



1894. 



In February the Council appointed a new Committee to 

 report what amendments to the Act of 1883 were desirable. 

 This Committee consisted of the Chairman (Mr. F. A. Charming, 

 M.P.), the Vice-Chairman (Mr. A. F. Jeffreys, M.P.), Mr. H. 

 Chaplin, M.P., Mr. C. S. Read, Mr. Lipscomb, Mr. Bowen- 

 Jones, Mr. W. Biddell, Mr. Rowlandson, Mr. Carrington Smith, 

 Mr. John Treadwell, Mr. B. St. John Ackers, Mr. Jas.Kay, Mr. 

 Thomas Latham, Mr. F. E. Muntz, and Mr. Samuel Kidner. 

 Mr. Lipscomb was again elected Chairman of the Committee. 

 Their report was presented in June and occupied the Council 

 for two meetings. It contained several foolscap sheets of 

 print of suggested amendments, which the Council adopted 

 with some alterations. 



1895. 



The Market Gardeners' Compensation Act, introduced by 

 Colonel Long (M.P. for Evesham) was passed this year before 

 the General Election. It was intended to ensure that market 

 gardeners should be entitled to compensation for their improve- 

 ments, such as planting fruit trees and bushes ; but it was so 

 badly worded that it was soon after decided in the Law Courts 

 that the Act was not retrospective, and was therefore almost 

 a failure. 



The Council in April agreed their parliamentary pro- 

 gramme, one item of which was that the report adopted in 



