June 1895.] PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS. 



95 



With respect to remedies and suggestions to meet the present 

 state of affairs, Mr. Fox remarks that, as a rule, witnesses in 

 Lincolnshire did not suggest many remedies for agricultural 

 depression. It was asserted over and over again that the tap 

 root of all the farmers' troubles and grievances was low prices. 

 There was a consensus of opinion that the landed interest bears 

 an undue proportion of rates and taxes, and that there should be 

 a re-adjustment to make personal property bear a larger share than 

 at present. It was further suggested that the land tax should 

 be abolished, and also that the maintenance of the poor, the 

 expenses of the highways, sacitary matters, police, and education, 

 should be defrayed out of the Imperial Exchequer. Keference 

 was also made to the incidence of the income tax and the death 

 duties. Resolutions in favour of lowered railway rates for 

 agricultural produce, especially for small consignments, and the 

 abolition of preference rates to foreigners over English lines, were 

 usually passed at the meetings. Landowners all consider that it 

 would be a great benefit if money could be borrowed at a cheaper 

 i-ate than can now be obtained, for the purpose of improving 

 [)roperties. A number of small freeholders, occupying and farming 

 their own land, stated that the greatest good the Government 

 could do them would be to advance money at a cheap rate of 

 interest to pay off their mortgages. 



Several witnesses suggested that co-operation by farmers both 

 in the production and sale of certain produce would be bene- 

 ficial. 



Other remedies suggested were the marking of foreign meat ; 

 the prevention of adulteration of butter and all agricultural 

 produce ; the exclusion of all live foreign cattle ; cheapening the 

 transfer of land ; selling of cattle by live weight ; old age 

 pensions ; technical education ; Lord Winchelsea's scheme for 

 uniting in one organisation landowners, farmers, and labourers 

 with the object of remedying agricultural grievances ; and light 

 radways. 



