COMMONS AND OPEN SPACES. 
91 
to this day surreptitiously filch the common land. Their methods are slow 
hut certain— a low railing, next a wire fence, and then one of stout oak — and 
the patch of gorse, ling and heather is shut oft for ever from public gaze. To 
redeem it the petitioners must undertake an expensive and often ineffectual 
lawsuit. Here Air. Birkett steps in with a suggestion, lie proposes that an Act 
should be passed enabling inhabitants of a district to adopt an Act for the preserva- 
tion of their commons, in the same way that they adopt the Free Libraries Act to 
enlighten public intelligence. Such an Act would strike a fatal blow at the 
encroachment system. For what has that system done ? Words cannot measure 
its evil effect. Where it has been in force in the country side it has driven the 
peasants to the town, for every acre encroached upon means so much less fuel for 
the cottager, so much less pasturage and litter for his beast. Daily do the trains 
bring the labourer from the eastern counties to London in search of work, but the 
New Forest squatter need never leave his home. The harmful results of past and 
present encroachment in the neighbourhood of large towns are but too patent. 
Enfield Chase, Finchley and Hounslow Commons, are such only in name, and in 
reality strongholds of the suburban jerry-builder. The lord of the manor still 
asserts his right to enclose Fortune Green at thickly populated West Hampstead ; 
and Hayes Common to the south-east of the metropolis was the scene of stealthy 
encroachment no great while back. A letter recently written by that warm friend 
of the cause of open spaces. Miss Octavia Hill, which is quoted here by her 
permission, forms a striking commentary on the whole subject. It opens up a side 
of the (piestion upon which Air. Birkett has not touched — the fact that these 
encroachments on commons and footpaths triumph for want of local opposition. 
Let an ancient footpath be threatened, and “ a meeting of the inhabitants in 
vestry is called to decide on whether or no it is to be closed ; the law allows 
the question to be decided by what is called the plural vote, unless anybody has 
spirit, knowledge, and money enough to oppose at quarter .sessions. The plural 
vote means that every man has voles according to the value of his property. The 
matter to be decided involves no expenditure of rates, where a man who pays most 
may have right to more weight. It is a (piestion where he who has least land is 
most concerned, yet a assessment gives one vote, and every additional 
assessment gives an additional vote, with a maximum of six. So that this year we 
have a footpath being closed — and legally closed — where 75 persons voted 
against the closing, and 46 for it ; for the 46 cast 103 votes.” Pending alteration 
in the law, the only thing that remains to be done is to intensify local opposi- 
tion by meetings, speeches and otherwise. By that means why should not the 
75 be doubled and the footpath saved ? 
One important aspect with regard to open spaces has been overlooked by Air. 
Birkett. The sorry part played till lately by the Commissioners of Woods and 
Forests with regard to the Royal Parks and other domains has been matter of 
indignant comment. Air. Birkett states, truly, that the War Department thought 
it would be a nice thing to place a rifle range in the New Forest,” but he fails to 
mention that the Woods and Forests Commissioners had a share in tiie transaction. 
For the still deplorable condition of Kew Ait, the latter, too, are responsible. 
.Again, let us suppose that by order of the same body Regent’s Park and Rich- 
mond Park were to be shut up to-morrow. Words could not describe the just 
an'l mighty outcry that would arise ; illimitable would be the number of indignant 
epistles daily appearing in the newspapers ; crowded the meetings nightly held in 
our public assembly rooms to utter one and the same protest, and to pass unani- 
mously one and the same resolution against such an act of tyranny. The recent 
happy issue of the New Forest difficulty has well-nigh made such a contingency 
impossible ; so far as the Royal Parks are concerned, the gate once open can 
never be shut. But what about the gate that is unopened } 
Let us pass down the High Street of Kingston-on-Thames. The once quaint 
old borough is now sharing the fate of all neighbour towns and villages within 
twelve miles of the City. Ugly accretions in the shape of monotonous rows of 
modern villas are hemming in the ancient market-place, and the venerable- church 
tower that keeps guard over “ Father Thames.” The river crosserl, we soon find 
ourselves free of the houses, in a road overarched, it is true, with trees, but flanked 
on cither side with ominously high walls and fences. .-A pleasant walk, indeed, it 
is along this road on the evening of one of those rare days in spring, which, while 
