836 KEPOKT— 1887. 



ments under Schedule A ' in twenty-two counties of England, varying from 256,000^. 

 in York to 46,000/. in Devon. By Mr. Pryor's recent table as to 21,000 acres in Essex 

 either out of cultivation or farmed by owners ; and by Sir Jas. Caird's evidence 

 before the Commission on the Depression of Trade, who, on the average of England, 

 puts the landlords' loss at 30 per cent, of their spendable income, and the tenant's 

 at 60 per cent, of his capital. He added further statistics of the value of the live 

 and dead stock employed in farming, and from the gigantic figures resulting argued 

 that the subject of the paper was well worthy the serious attention of Section F. 



The paper then pointed out that while other causes had been at work and 

 should not be overlooked, yet this depression and loss had been contemporaneous 

 with recent land legislation, which had been directed to the abolition of those very 

 rights and privileges which had formerly rendered the acquisition of land desirable, 

 and the author thought it fair to connect such fall and depression with this legisla- 

 tion as cause and effect. He instanced — 



1. The Repeal of the Corn Laws, which had flooded England with foreign 

 corn and provisions. 



2. The Repeal of the Navigation Laws, which had created a swift and cargo- 

 bearing fleet, and raised the mercantile tonnage from 106,321 tons in 1850 to 

 3,889,000 tons in 1886, with a greatly reduced freight. 



3. The Ballot Act, which took away the landlord's political influence, and other 

 Acts abolishing landed qualification of the sportsman, the voter, the member of 

 Parliament, the justice, and now (in contemplation) the sheriff". 



4. New Burdens and Taxes saddled on the Land. — As (a) the succession duty 

 under 16 & 17 Vic. c. 51, which produced, for the year ending March 1885, 

 £935,053 143 Id. ; (b) abolition of turnpikes and throwing the highway repairs- 

 on country parishes, with statistics of expenditure ; (c) rural sanitary Acts, rural 

 police, lunatics, burial boards, &c. 



5. The Ground Game Acts, which, giving hares and rabbits to tenants, have 

 diminished landowners' pleasure and inducement to country residence. 



6. The Bankruptcy Acts and Act lessening the right to distrain, which, though 

 intended for the tenant's benefit, the author contended injured him and crippled his- 

 credit, particularly with his landlord and banker. 



7. Lord Sandon's Education Act of 1876. — Education Boards have rapidly 

 extended. In 1861 the accommodation was for 1,396,483 children, in 1885 for 

 5,658,819, is still increasing, and the expenses too. Allowing the propriety of 

 every child having a good education, the author contended that the Act prejudicially 

 affected land («) by throwing an additional burden on it ; (b) by abstracting boy 

 labour from the farm ; (e) by deteriorating the character of the labourer's child, 

 making him dissatisfied with home and hard work, and anxious to be a clerk or 

 shop assistant, and to dress fine. 



8. State-aided Emigration, which takes away our best and most adventurous 

 workmen. 



9. The Agricultural Holding Act. — The author gave an explanation of its pro- 

 visions ; insisted that the farmer, who has the land let to him, has already power to 

 protect himself, and that it is the landlord who, surrendering possession of an 

 important and easily injured property, needs the protection. At all events, that the 

 Act promises to be a fruitful source of litigation, and to again diminish the owner's 

 interest in his possession. 



The writer then passed on to consider the results of the present state of things. 

 He thought these would be {a) an increasing disinclination to buy land ; (h) a 

 permanent fall in rents; (c) a lower style of farming, and less inclination and 

 power in the landlords to assist their tenants ; {d) a reduction of agricultural wages ; 

 and (e) a fall in the current rate of interest on mortgages, and then of other 

 loans. 



The paper concluded by suggestions as to improving the present state of things. 



1. The author contended that the facts do not justify the present depression, 

 that agriculturists are needlessly fl-ightened. The American corn-grower is tired 

 of growing at a loss, the wheat breadth is diminishing and going ever farther west. 

 But the English farmer is not doing his best. He should get more from his land,. 



