28 BRITAIN FOR THE BRITON 



while both must enter upon this new departure with due 

 appreciation of the cogent necessities of the case, otherwise a 

 worse evil M'ill surely overtake the country — and the landotoners. 



This momentous question offered a splendid opportunity to 

 Lord llosebery to take the initiative when delivering his great 

 speech to the business men of Glasgow on the 10th September, 

 1909, but he failed to take advantage of it. As an ex-Prime 

 i\Iinister and a great landowner he had a rare chance of leading 

 the way to agricultural reform of a nature that would serve 

 national interests, but like so many of his compeers he pre- 

 ferred silent inactivity to overt action. The future will reveal 

 if his attitude on that occasion was wise and prudent. 



In regard to the compulsory sale of land, it will no doubt be 

 contended by those who have some interest to serve, or fancy 

 they have, by maintaining existing conditions, that it would be 

 imjust to force a man to sell that wldch he would rather keep ; 

 and, although the public can readily understand and appreciate 

 such a feeling, they could not altogether condemn a measure of 

 this nature, because they could point to an equal measure of 

 " iujustice " in many other matters relating to the administra- 

 tion of the affairs of the commonwealth, which are actually 

 acquiesced in and agreed to by that very class which would 

 condemn this occupying-ownership scheme. The income-tax, 

 poor-rates, death-duties, and other items of a kindred nature 

 in the domestic life of the nation, are all compulsory, but that 

 fact alone is insufficient to condemn them on the score of 



injustice. 



The various Acts which empower the authorities to acquire 

 land by compulsory sale for " Public Purposes " offer ample 

 precedents for a much more comprehensive measure of that 

 nature, but can there be a greater " Public Purpose " than to 

 acquire the land of the country for the people's good ? 



None of us may exactly like these compulsory attentions on 

 the part of Government, but as loyal subjects we recognise the 

 necessity for their existence and — we submit to them. 



If the same attitude be adopted in resi^ect to the compulsory 

 sale of the land, the principle involved is the same, but with 

 this wide difference, that, whereas in one case a man parts with 

 something that belongs to him without receiving a quid 'pro quo, 

 in the other he would receive in return full market value for 

 that which he is adxd to girc up. 



There is only one course for British landowners to take, and 

 if they are wise they will not fail to adopt it while the daylight 

 serves. 



(a) They should no longer hesitate in coming forward to 

 help in the solution of these difficulties that have 



