2 28 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION 



of Agriculture, that all umpires should be selected from 

 an official list, nominated by county councils and sanc- 

 tioned by the Board of Agriculture, or, in other words, 

 the proposal first made in the Agricultural Holdings Bill 

 of 1889. Mr Lipscomb thinks it will still be necessary 

 for most farmers to employ some one as a valuer to draw 

 up the details of a claim. " I should only be too glad if 

 this initial man were entirely set aside, and that the umpire 

 should he called in at once." " The sooner you go to the 

 umpire the better so as to get rid of the constant meet- 

 ings, which is one of the causes of the trouble. 



Mr Olver would have an official valuer or surveyor 

 appointed by the county council, who should make 

 records of condition and decide compensation cases. 



Mr Looker and others prefer a list, and freedom of 

 selection, "as every one would not have confidence in 

 one man." 



Mr Carrington Smith would leave the landlord and 

 tenant, as now, to appoint their referees in the first 

 instance, and then call in an official umpire instead of 

 letting the referees appoint the umpire. 



The opinions thus expressed by many practical and 

 representative men are conclusive that the present system 

 of references is obsolete, and a serious hindrance to 

 the main purpose of any Act to determine the mutual 

 rights of landlord and tenant. It is clear that the most 

 satisfactory machinery will be the impartial judgment of 

 a single arbitrator whose qualifications secure him the 

 confidence of all parties concerned. 



As to the manner of appointment of this official 

 opinions differ widely, and much may be said for several 

 . of the conflicting suggestions. I am disposed to think 

 that the higher the authority given to such an arbitrator, 

 and the more judicial his functions, the weightier become 

 the arguments for leaving the appointment to the 

 Government instead of imposing on a local body a 

 somewhat invidious task, into which personal and local 

 considerations may enter, as well as the question of the 

 perfect fitness of candidates for the office. Local and 



