2 26 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION 



The proposal of an official arbitrator has for a number 

 of years been advocated in the northern counties. 



Mr Coleman, reporting on Lancashire to the Rich- 

 mond Commission in 1882/ says : " It will be absolutely 

 necessary that the umpires, to whom matters that 

 cannot be settled between outgoer and incomer in the 

 ordinary method of arbitration must be referred, should 

 be men of capacity, judgment, and impartiality. It would 

 be very desirable that Government referees should be 

 appointed for different districts, to whom matters in 

 dispute should be referred, who would hear evidence 

 and decide without appeal. Some scheme of this kind 

 will, as far as I can judge, satisfy the farmers of 

 Lancashire." 



Again, Mr Albert Greg, president of the Lancaster 

 Agricultural Society, suggested an impartial court in 

 certain centres to decide questions of improvements and 

 dilapidations. 



Mr Scott would remedy the cost of procedure by 

 having official valuators or commissioners, or referees 

 appointed for each district, and a court of appeal, so 

 many of these referees meeting together quarterly ; the 

 law courts to have nothing to do with it. 



It would be better that these inspectors or referees or 

 arbitrators should have nothing to divert their minds 

 from their work. They should be, as it were, inspectors, 

 and in that case, we should have them as a first court, 

 and then, if there was an appeal, it would go to three or 

 four of them, and would be decided by the majority. 

 That would cheapen the whole process. " Legal gentle- 

 men are very fond of evidence, but we would hope that 

 the official referee would not be equally fond of it." 



Mr Pringle has stated with much clearness the wishes 

 of representative farmers in the South Midlands on this 

 question.^ 



What is wished is "the appointment of county or 

 district arbitrators, assisted when necessary by boards 

 of assessors." " Upon the following points all are agreed : 



' Wilson Fox, Garstang, p. 21. 



* Pringle, Beds. Hunts, Northants, pp. 61, 67. 



