84 THE RURAL PROBLEM 



the risk to the tenant would be correspondingly small. But 

 it can be practically met by bringing the lease to an end at 

 the option of the tenant only, and, the clause being entirely 

 for his benefit, there would be no injustice in leaving it to 

 his option to enforce it. 



This opportunity might, of course, be taken for the estab- 

 lishment of fair rent courts, such as have worked well in 

 Ireland. But there are strong reasons against such a 

 course.* Should fair rent courts be established for other 

 reasons, the cost of the minimum wage might, and indeed 

 would, be one of the factors to be taken into consideration. 

 But there is a danger that, if the minimum wage law were 

 connected in the minds of the farmers with any cumber- 

 some legal process, this would be an additional source of 

 unpopularity, with no corresponding benefit to any of the 

 parties concerned. The farmer would be best able to 

 calculate what the minimum wage law would cost him, and 

 he would not require, and would very probably resent, the 

 intrusion of third parties in the matter. Without rent 

 courts the vast majority of cases would be easily and 

 amicably settled. Both landlord and tenant would want to 

 agree, because the one does not want to lose a tenant, nor the 

 other to leave his farm. But if there are possibilities of 

 litigation, the chances of settlement would be diminished. 



§5. The Effect on the Landlord. 



It is nearly as difficult to average the extent of the burden 

 which would thus be borne by the landlords as it is to 

 average the cost of the minimum wage to the employers of 

 farm labour. 



The rents of farms vary enormously, and there is no 

 official information available. f Where the rent amounts 

 to 50s. or 60s. an acre, to transfer the cost of a minimum 

 wage of 23s. would not often reduce the rent by more than 

 10 per cent., and frequently by 5 per cent, or less. But 

 there are cases where rents are low, down even to 10s. and 

 15s. an acre — these occur more frequently in districts 

 where wages are also low, and the extra cost of the minimum 



* See Report of Royal Commission on Agricultural Depression, 

 1897, pp. 103-117. ; 

 f See Appendix H. 



