WALES AND SCOTLAND 327 



of large classes of farmers, and their inability to make a 

 profit, even out of stock farming, in many cases, into the 

 clearest light, and is supported by the evidence of several of 

 the ablest practical farmers in England. While this state of 

 things is partly recognised in the paragraph, it is not 

 correct to state that the position resembles that of Cumber- 

 land or Westmoreland, where it is known that there has 

 been the very smallest degree of depression. 



Depression in Wales. 



The paragraphs relating to Wales (62-64) do not give a satis- 

 factory statement of the evidence laid before us. It may be 

 true that owners in Wales " have not hitherto experienced 

 the effects of the depression to any serious extent." If this is 

 true, it is obviously because rents have not been materially 

 reduced, and, as one land agent admitted, are in some cases 

 paid out of capital, and in other cases out of the wages of 

 the children of farmers. But, for this very reason, it is 

 clear that the tenant farmers have suffered severely. They 

 have had to meet the heavy fall in prices of many articles, 

 and occasional disastrous losses in prices of other articles, 

 and further to meet a continued increase in the cost of 

 labour and production generally, without having, except in 

 a very limited degree, the help by reduction of rent which 

 has been given more freely in many parts of England. 



In these paragraphs, as elsewhere in the report, the 

 conclusions arrived at are vitiated by the omission to 

 recognise that, if agriculture is to go on, and the worst 

 features of the depression are to be remedied, when prices 

 have gone down and the cost of production has gone up, 

 the items of rent and other non-reproductive items must 

 go down to the point which leaves a profit. It is therefore 

 impossible to place confidence in them. 



Depression in Scotland. 



Similar comment is reasonable as to the estimate of the 

 effects of depression in Scotland. The paragraphs fail to 

 describe fully and accurately the real state of things. In 

 this connection it should be noted that, owing to extreme 



