xvi HOW TO NATIONALIZE THE LAND 275 



My proposal will best be understood, and its numerous 

 advantages explained, by taking an illustrative case, and 

 showing exactly how it would work. Let us suppose, then, 

 that owing to a rapid succession of deaths a gentleman 

 has come in unexpectedly as the third successor to an 

 estate, and therefore having only a life interest in the 

 land. The estate consists, perhaps, of a house and ex- 

 tensive pleasure grounds, of a home farm, and of, say, a 

 dozen surrounding farms. This gentleman has a family 

 of sons and daughters, and he wishes his eldest son to 

 continue to live on the estate, which, we will suppose, has 

 been long connected with his family. At the death of 

 this last freeholder the whole land of the estate becomes 

 public property ; but anything on the land or which has 

 been added to its value by the preceding three owners, 

 remains the property of the heirs, and every future holder 

 of the land will have an indefeasible tenant-right to 

 everything they may acquire, besides the land itself, and 

 also to every addition or improvement of whatever kind- 

 they themselves make to it. 



Soon after the passing of the law we have here advo- 

 cated, a general valuation of all the land of Ireland will 

 have been made, every separate field, plot, or holding 

 being estimated according to its inherent comparative value 

 as dependent on soil, subsoil, aspect, climate, elevation 

 above the sea, vicinity to towns or markets, means of com- 

 munication, and all other facts and conditions, not given to 

 it ~by any preceding owner, but dependent either on natural 

 qualities and surroundings or on the general development 

 of the country. The annual value thus estimated will be 

 the State " ground-rent " or " quit-rent ; " and, as may be 

 decided on from time to time, either the whole or some 

 fixed portion of this ground-rent will be payable by every 

 holder of land which has ceased to be private property. 

 This "ground rent" will, of course, be very much lower 

 than the lowest rent ever paid by a tenant to a landlord 

 on the old system ; but even this will probably never have 

 to be paid in full, except in the earlier stage of the tran- 

 sition from public to private ownership ; and whatever 

 proportion of it is decided on by the Government to be 



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