52 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



farms are to let there is seldom any lack of 

 applications. The farmers' grievance against 

 the burden of the rates has not been assuaged 

 by the fact that he alone in the community 

 has half his rates remitted by the State ; nor 

 does he adequately appreciate the fact that 

 the farmer who pays income-tax is a rare 

 phenomenon. Even a tenant paying as much 

 as 480 a year in rent is exempted from an 

 impost levied upon persons who live in far 

 less comfort than himself. 



A more substantial grievance of the farmer 

 arises from the conditions of tenure under 

 which he holds his land. It has long been 

 recognised that the relations of the agricultural 

 landowner and his tenant cannot be left to 

 the stress of mere competition. But the 

 security hitherto given to the tenant is 

 exceedingly small, and when a farmer has no 

 fixity of tenure he is deprived of a powerful 

 motive for making the most of his farm. 

 Compensation is granted to an outgoing 

 tenant according to somewhat arbitrary 

 rules devised by the valuers, for certain 

 manures, feeding stuffs, repairs, etc. But 

 no recognition is given to the fact that 

 by continuous good farming, or the reverse, 

 a tenant may increase or diminish the value 

 of the farm to an extent which cannot 



