HIGH FARMING AND FAIR RENTS 237 



that rent by running out the farm for five years, when it 

 would be worth perhaps 20s. " Personally, I do not 

 care to get all the good out of the land and then give it 

 up. I should prefer to farm as I have done for years, 

 but at a fair rent. As a general rule, I think a landlord 

 and tenant should make their own bargain, but a land 

 court, or the appointment of Government arbitrators 

 would be a very great boon to the farmer to appeal to 

 in special cases such as 1 have related." 



In Scotland, Mr Speir gives as the general opinion 

 that agriculture needs a re-adjustment of rents to prices : 

 " if the rent is wrong, no amount of legislation in other 

 directions will make the farm right." The desire for a 

 land court and judicial rents is very much on the 

 increase." 



Mr Gilchrist and Mr M'Connell would refer the fixing 

 of a fair rent to the arbitrator, to be based on produce 

 and prices. 



In Aberdeenshire there is a strong demand for judicial 

 rents. 



Mr Black, Secretary of the Morayshire Farmers' Club, 

 told us that a demand for reductions of rent based on a 

 careful valuation resting on the fiars prices of all produce 

 over a term of years had proved itself sound, and was 

 now carried out on a number of farms. 



On Lord Aberdeen's estate a re-valuation was given 

 to tenants who desired it by voluntary arbitration, re- 

 sulting in a reduction of 23 per cent, on a rental of about 

 £11,000. 



Farms are re-let on that estate on a valuation based 

 on the quality and fertility of the soil, the state and 

 suitability of the buildings, situation as regards railways, 

 and the demand for land in the neighbourhood. 



The wish for arbitration as to rent is put strongly by 

 several English farmer witnesses. 



Mr Kidner thinks that the insecurity of the sitting 

 tenant can only be remedied by the determination of the 

 rent by an independent authority, for some fixed term, 

 probably five years, and revised when " grown out of 

 proportion to the times." A rent would be fair " at which 



