SECURITY AND ECONOMIC RENTS 249 



ing any proposals which they know are cordially disliked 

 by those in whose power the present state of the law 

 places their whole investments in the soil, and their busi- 

 ness future to so large an extent. 



Large numbers of farmers, also, who may not be so 

 much embarrassed, or influenced by these motives, pro- 

 bably rely more on their own judgment in making a 

 bargain than they would on an official decision ; the 

 same motive is seen operating in the failure of the legis- 

 lation to promote selling of cattle by live weight. 



Much more importance should be attached to the 

 dread of most tenants of being bound to pay a rent 

 which may be fair when fixed, but may become impos- 

 sible to pay owing to sudden falls in prices of special 

 products, or to disastrous seasons, and to the undoubted 

 probability that landlords would not, after a fair rent 

 was fixed, be inclined to give remissions also. 



No doubt many grave difficulties will have to be 

 encountered and overcome in introducing any changes, 

 however ultimately beneficial, in the present system of 

 tenure in England. 



But, assigning all the weight which is due to the 

 reluctance of many tenants, and to other drawbacks 

 and difficulties, I feel bound to state that the objections 

 made to interference with rents do not appear to me to 

 have anything like the force or weight which should 

 undoubtedly attach to two central and indisputable facts 

 which our inquiry has established. 



The first is the universal demand of the best type of 

 farmer, the man who throws his money and his whole 

 ability and energy into the improvement of the land, 

 for absolute security. This demand is put with clear- 

 ness by Mr Pringle in one of his reports. 



"The desire of the farmers is for better security in 

 the form_ of continued occupation at fair rents, no charge 

 being put upon their own improvements." ^ 



The necessity for meeting this demand has been 

 proved to demonstration in this inquiry. 



The second is that the rents which have been charged 

 during the period of depression have been, and still are, 



' Pringle, Essex, p. 35. 



