The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-10-23 00:00:00

THE VALUE OF GROUSE MOORS.

An arbitration, which has especial interest for owners and
lessees of grouse moors, took place last week at the Institu-
tion of Surveyors, Westminster.
The claimant, Mr. Henry Garnett, Chairman of
Quarter Sessions for Lancashire, is the owner of a
large estate at Wyreside, near Lancaster, of which
7,930 acres are moor land, on which 2,126 grouse wet()
shot last year. The Corporation of Lancaster, for the
purpose of their water supply, have hid down pipes
across the moor, and the abstraction of the water is
alleged to have deteriorated the moor very seriously
for grouse breeding. For the damage thus sustained
Mr. Garnett claims £30,000.
The witnesses called were—in addition to Mr. Gar-
nett—Mr. Slatter, surveyor, Manchester; Mr. Storey,
land agent for the Townley and Tempest estates,
Burnley; Mr. Patrick Mathew, C.E., Perth; Mr.
Gregor M'Gregor, gamekeeper to the Duke of
Athole ; and Mr. Peter Melrose, gamekeeper to the
claimant.
Mr. Garnett himself based his claim on a royalty,
which he considered he had a right to demand for the
water, of a halfpenny per thousand gallons, for the
1,300,000 gallons per day which the corporation were
empowered to take. But the professional witnesses
estimated the damage by the amount of depreciation
of the letting value of the shooting. All the witnesses
agreed that grouse moors would readily let in Scot-
land for £1 to 30s. a brace, and that this was an ex-
ceptionally good moor, and from its easy accessibility
from Manchester, Liveroool, Preston, and other large
towns, would command an equal, if not a higher, rent.
They considered that £1,200 would have been a mo-
derate rental for the shooting in its farmer condition;
but now that the water had been drained off the best
breeding ground had been deteriorated by £530 a year.
When the breeding ground was interfered with it
affected the whole of the moor, and the estimate
which the surveyors put on the damage to the grouse
shooting was £18,550. There were 350 acres of in-
land, which were also depreciated to the extent of
ss. an acre per annum, which would, at 35 years'
purchase, amount to £3,062. For the easement of
laying the pipes the sum claimed was £1,662, bringing
up the total of the surveyors' estimates to 223,274.
It was stated that running streams were an absolute
necessity for grouse breeding, as the chicks were taken
to the water immediately they were hatched; but the
gathering of the quantity of water required by the
Corporation would leave the moor quite dry in
droughty weather, and it was the opinion 3f some of
the witnesses that in dry seasons the Corporation
would not be able to get more than half they wanted.
There was a provision in the Act of Parliament that
sufficient water must be left foe flocks and herds and
agricultural purposes ; and the witnesses were dis-
agreed as to whether, if this were complied with, there
would also be sufficient for grouse, but most of them
were of opinion that it was not only running streams
at considerable distances apart that were requisite,
but an abundance of little rills. By reducing the
number of grouse they would limit the number of
probable competitors for the shooting, and the value
would thus be permanently diminished to a very seri-
ous extent.

The further hearing of the case was adjourned until
the 10th of November. Mr. W. C. Gully., Q.C., is
the arbitrator in the matter. Mr. W. IL Higgin,
Q.C., and Air. Horace Browne appeared for the
claimant; Mr. R. E. Webster, Q.C., and Mr. W.
Wright were counsel for the Corporation of Lan-
caster.