The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-05-17 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION:

In London, on Monday night, the Marquis of Huntley
presided at a meeting at the rooms of the Social Science
Association, Adelphi, held to hear a paper on "Agricultural
Distress, with special reference to the mode in which farm
rent is paid," by Mr. F. Hill :
The paper reviewed the position of the farmer, and
held that leases should be perfect instruments in pre-
serving to the farmer a motive for 'good cultivation,
as in Madeira, where at the termination of the lease
the land is valued, and the landlord has to pay the
farmer or the latter the landlord, according to whether
the value had risen or fallen. He urged that the
farmers should direct their earnest efforts to the sub-
stitution, for a fixed money rent, of a rent paid
virtually in kind, based on the value of the crops.
This, Mr. Hull urged would be beneficial alike to the
farmer, the landlord, and the labourer.
In opening the discussion, Mr. Botley contended
that in order to relieve the farmer there should be
absolute security of tenure, compensation for unex-
hausted Improvements on a farmer quitting a farm,
and an alteration of the game law.
Mr. Spurling expressed himself as opposed to legis-
lative restrictions upon farming, and he looked upon
the 10 per cent, reductions from rent as a reflection
upon landlords, for equitable rents should need no
reductions. _ _

Mr. Macfie advocated the partnership of capitalists,
farmers, and landlords on the limited liability prin-
ciple, and this he said would lead to the land being
better cultivated. He owned that there were diffi-
culties in the way in the balancing of the accounts.
Mr. Mechi, of Tiptree, spake of the restrictions
upon the farmer in the disposal of his produce as being
a factor in the present depression, instancing the re-
striction upon the use of straw, which some farmers
were bound not to sell, and could only make use of it
to a slight value to the firm, and this while he could
sell it for £6 per acre for paper-making. Freedom of
action was required in farming as other occupations.
Captain Verney, as a landlord, stated that he had
found the greatest advantage from working under the
Agricultural Holdings Act, and he advised all land-
owners to adopt the Act in dealing with their
tenants.
The Chairman characterized the proposal of Mr. Hill
in regard to the payment of rent as beautiful in theory,
but really impracticable. The rent would be difficult
to collect in that form, and the landlord, if the rent
were to be upon the basis of the produce, would have
to go over the farm year by year to find out what the
produce has been. The Chairman expressed himself as
being in favour of freedom of contract; and proceed-
ing to speak of the depression now existing over the
whole of Great Britain, he said that in point of
fact he, though a free-trader, could not but think
that this depression was in part because we were
now beginning to feel the full effects of free trade.
This being so, and as he knew it would be impossible to
return to protection, he thought farming should be
placed upon the basis of, and not fated niore than,
other oecuptations. At present the farming interest
was very krgely overtaxed, and this was what de-
terred the capitalist from putting money into farming.
Capitalists were not such fools as to put money into
an industry thus depressed by a taxation not borne by
others in the same ratio.
Mr. Fordham, as a farmer and brewer, spoke in
support of the Chairman's statement with respect to
the burdensumeness of local taxation upon the farmer,
saying that as p farmer he had to pay far more taxa-
tion than he had to pay as a brewer.
Colonel Brise, MX, and others spoke, and the
meeting ended in the usual way.