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IV. — Note on the Interpretation of Clause 6 of the Agriculturat 
Holdings {England) Act, 1875. By Sir T. Dyke Acland^ 
Bart., M.P. 
There is a question as to the meaning of a very important 
clause in the Agricultural Holdings Act, on which I believe that 
a serious mistake has been made and widely circulated. 
It has been assumed that compensation for every improvement 
in the first class is to be deemed to continue unexhausted for 
twenty years, and for every improvement in the second class for 
seven years. 
As my attention was specially called to this subject, and as I 
had the assistance of a very able draftsman in framing and con- 
sidering amendments during the passage of the Bill through the 
House of Commons, I may perhaps be allowed to state what I 
believe to be the effect of the Act, as it certainly was understood 
at the time to be the intention of the Government. 
To show that the matter is of no slight importance one or two 
practical illustrations may suffice. 
One tenant may apply bones or lime to pasture, which he does 
not mow ; another may apply the same kind and amount of 
manure, and take two or three crops of hay ; or to arable land, 
and take two crops of corn. 
If these two tenants leave their respective farms in the third 
or fourth year, are the referees bound to award the same com- 
pensation to both alike ? 
Or to take a case under the first class. I have made many 
acres of water-meadow, at a cost of 10s. or 155. per acre. In. 
some places water-meadows cost 10/. or 15/. per acre. Is the 
claim for compensation on account of " making of water-mea- 
dows or works of irrigation " to run as a matter of course for 
twenty years, and to be put on the same footing as the erectioa 
of a stable or a cattle-shed ? 
It appears to have been taken for granted that the Act states 
positively that improvements shall be deemed to be unexhausted 
for twenty or for seven years ; whereas it only fixes negatively a 
maximum limit, beyond which improvements shall not be 
deemed to be unexhausted. 
The 6th Clause of the Act runs thus : " An improvement 
shall not in any case be deemed, for the purposes of this Act, to- 
continue unexhausted beyond the respective terms following 
after the year of tenancy in which the outlay thereon is made : 
When the improvement is of the 1st class, the end of 20 years- 
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