The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-08-21 00:00:00

PEASANT PROPRIETORS.

The Rev. Henry Motile, of Fordingham Vicarage,
writes the following to The Times :
During 50 years' residence among the peasantry of Wiltshire
and Dot setshire, and with the improvement of the condition
of the working else- es continually before me as the second
great object of nip life, 1 travelled full opportunity of observ-
ing the working of peasant proprietorehip, and though on
grounds very different from those adduced in your leader of
to-day. I have long been convinced that its teliiienc ie rather
to the misery and the deterioration than to the happiness and
improvement of tire peasant
About 70 years ago the earl of Shaftesbury n-f that day sold
about, an acre of land in this parish—a steimb 13.)rchester.
in about eight or elite lots At or neer the some timeabout
a- many peasants wete allowed to niche themselvea proprie
tors ot as many portions of a piece of waste of the estate ot
the Duchy on Cornwall.
There are persons living who recollect there being eighteen
or twenty tolerably condonable cottages int these two pieces
of land There is now dwelling on then) a population of
1,0 oor lions Ida I have seen myself truth of ilividoti and
subdivision f the properties I have e.-11 the divided or
the subdivided portion fall into the hands of the m names
who hint advanced florliec for repair or for additional budd-
ing, On one of these peasant roperties there has stood for
the 1.4 thirty-tlve years a square of wretched dared go.
about ten feet *quart, without o e 'riot of accom ?iodation
beyond he ground floor These were erected by a builder
to whom the peasant proprietor odd the Isn't t don't
hesitate to as•ert thit the misery and vice which have at
tended that establishment of eighteen or twenty cottage
propertes seventy or ebtlry years ogo have vastly out-
weighed airy benefit it could have I,en expected to confer on
the w.rld..g cla.ses
But while I feel thins as to peasant proprietorship, my
convictions ore very different IS to peasant Texan try ; and I
hope so n to lie able to show the public that it will he greatly
to the interest of all claw-eri, that it will tend greatly to the
andel 81111 1110 rod improvement of the working of aSSOII, and
that it will add greatly to the incl.'s. of the produce of the
soil, if, at least inn the neighbourhood of our viii ges and
smaller towns, the labourer, the mechanic, awl the shopman
may have the opportunity of rentiog a quarter 10l an acre
half an acre, or one mr two acres of burl at a fair rent. If
the cultivation of such portions, varying according to dr-
onnetances, he feasible (and thi le fo ly capable of proof ;
if it can he done without any abetract.on of his time and
strength from the orate. employer ; tnd if fro,„ the eidtl
vation of ev.t) the smaller of th Be portions it can be shown
that a nmn may add 4s. a week to his income, then lam stir,
that it) the 10501101011 of small properties itito larger, of
which in your leader you speak, there must be some C. 111•
shmration shown for these c as-es. The advocates of Will-
Ceinll and of temperance must pay more attention to thiv
subject than they have hitherto done.

WILL GOVERNMENT DO IT AS WELL 1
AS PRIVATF ENTERPRISE P
With reference to the important que,tion of the
future mat a,teinerit of the tilegraphic lapiiness 14 the
country when the monopoly of it c ms into the
hands of the Pcx+t-office, a mercantile correspondent
expresses himaelf in terms of tlilA iViDZ, tot tale glow il
that there will he Si entire ahseoce of that prinvipl.
.4 om.petition which has hitherto provost so beneficial
in all classes of enterprise. Ha explains his views S 6

• •
follows :
Oar firm, having a branch in Liverpool, expends 4 560 to
£6OO per annum ‘Nti inland teleuranhy : and it frequently
ham-rens that we send ine+sages in d,iplicate f•n• the pa' pm.e
of quick despatch—sae, for example, by the Stage...to mei
Eltaric, marking on the former " Dolan:ate by Kitt:tile,"
and .nt the latter, " Duplicate by Magnetic." The conc.--
gnome is a rare to send out the message MIA the required
i eply : and it hat happened that 1.,.• active lad. etoplined,
who apner to enter Into the spuit of the thing, have ru,lied
into the office with " liere you are, sir; five inibutec ft
[twerp...4l' ova tollowing close • .11 the heels of toe other
Now, with the P.t-othee directing all the wiles, this con,
petitun will be completely d. he away with. and a me chant
who to wdling to pay a 41001, le price for go Ick desoat, It will
he no better oil than one who is contented to let things take
their course.