The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-14 00:00:00

THE LANDLORDS' COMMITTEE.

I.— 1. That the direct employment of the great mass of
the able.bodied people by the state has an unavoidable tend•
eney to par.]) se industry., and to substitute artifci►l for na-
tural labour.-2. That any system of relief to the able-bodied
that don not lead to the incfease of food, or articles that may
be exchanged for food,will diminish the capital of the country,
and that just in proportion as capital decreases poverty will in-
crease.-3. That, therefore, any measures of relief for the able-
bodied ought to have for their object the encouragement of
the employment of labour by private individuals in produc-
tive works, and that the efficacy of their action, as a stimulus
to encourage and force such employment, will be the mea.
sure of their utility.-4. That in order to place the owners
and occupiers of land in a position in which they can be
acted upon by such a stimulus, the whole energies of the
state should be applied to the absorption of surplus labour,
to the affording facilities for private employment, and to the
removal of the impedimenta that now obstruct it.
" That to absorb surplus labour, and at the same
time to increase the food produce of the country, piers and
harbours for fishery purposes, and model curing houses, with
salt depots attached, should be established along the coast.-
6. That with the like object of absorbing labour, and in-
creasing our food supplies, a systematic plan should be

adopted for the reclamation of waste lands throughout the
country.--7. That in any such system an option should be
given to the proprietors of waste lands to undertake the
' reclamation themselves; and in order to enable them to do
so, means should be placed at their disposal for obtaining
public loans for that purpose—the security of such loans to
be confined to the land improved—and (subject to due pro-
tection of reversionary interests) every possible facility
should be afforded of elk uating their waste lands for the
purp 'se of reclamation.-8. That with the view of further
absorbing labour, our representatives be instructed to lay
claim to such expenditure upon works and objects of a
national character, such as naval dockyards, safety harbours,
and packet stations, as ought of right to be allotted to this
country.-9. That in adaition to these measures a scheme
of eystematic colonisation would, is our opinion, provide the
means of subsistence to a large portion of our destitute
population—would relieve many districts in this c untry,
which are now unable to support their inhatUtants—aould
benefit the colt:ref:l by supplying them with laboir ould
increase the supply of t,,od throughsut the world, by bring-
ing fresh land into cultivation—and would largely extend
the market fur home manufactures.-10. That the class
which it is th Sifal,lo to see emigrating cannot, of course, do
so by their own rt sources ; and that no one of the other
classes benefited by the operation would, separately taken,
find it so profitable as to ensure their carrying it out upon a
large scale.— 11. That it is, then fore, peculiarly the pro-
vince of the state, which represents and protects the in-
terests of all collectively, to promote emigration by direct in-
tervention, as well as by assisting with information and
pecuniary aid, the efforts of individuals and public bodies in
promoting this most desirable result.
111.-12. That for affording facilities fir private employ-
ment, the drainage acts shall be simplified and consolidated;
and that tenants for life, and other proprietors having •
limited estate, shall be enabled to obtain public loan.. (to
be a charge exclusively on the land improved), for other
permanent improvements on land, besides drainage, without
application to the Costa of Chancery, provided such per-
manent improvement shall increase the value of the land
seven per cent. per annum; that all such public ads ances
shall he repaid on the principle of the million act, in twenty-
two annual instalments ; and that a certain per tentage
shall toe fixed, beyond which preliminary expense and
expenses of inapeccon shall not exceed.-13. Thrt with •
like object tenants, with the consent of their landlords, shall
have power to apply for public loans in the came mincer u
the proprietor himself, and to charge the lands improved
with the repayment of the money advanced—the tenant ren-
dering himself responsible for the annual instalments that
shall accrue due during the period of his occupation; and
that in order to encourage the inveatn.ent of the tenant's
own capital upon his land, his right to compensation for
permanent improvement, in case of his removal, shall be
recognised by law.
IV.-It. That to remove the obstacles that now obstruct
employment, the laws which regulate the management of
estates under the courts of equity should be revised sad
amended, and facilities should he given to landed proprie-
tors to sell portions of their estates for the laymen: of char.:ea.
--Id. That with a like object, and to diteinish theenormous
expense and delay' that now exist in these matters, cheap
and simple modes should be devised for the transfer, parti-
tion, and exchange of landed property.
V.-16. That, in addition to these measures, for the ab-
sorption of surplus labour, far the affording facilities of pri-
vate employment, and for the removing of the obstacles that
now obstruct it, we are of opinion that other measures of an
economical and social nature are imperatively called for.-
11. That among the most prominent of these is an
amendment of the present grand jury system ; and as great
inconveniences have arisen from the want of permanent
bodies for the adrainistr ition of county affairs, we would
recommend that all the fiscal powers of grand juries
should be transferred to county and baronial boards.-
18. That in such a change we would recommend
that the present system of road repair contracts should be
modified ; and that all works should be kept in n pair
under the superiutendence of the baronial boarda.-
19. That it is also expedient to raise the social state of our
agricultural labourer; and that, as we believe, one of the
molt efficacious means of effecting this will be the improve-
ment of his habitation, we aro of opinion that nua‘iirea
should be adopted to enable proprietors to improve the habi-
tations of the labouring poor, and, by proper suitor). regu-
lations, to render it the interest of landholders that every
dweller on their estates should have a good and healthy habi-
tation.-20. That it is likewise highly expedient to increase
and disseminate agricultural knowledge, and with this view
we are of opinion that baronial boards should have the power
of establishing model farms in each barony, presided over by
proper agriculturists.-21. That among the most prominent
evils of the present land system is the want of • cheap and
simple mode of checking waste, and therefore we are of
opinion that measures should be taken to rthiedy this.-
22. That with a view of relieving owners and occupiers
of the soil from any burthens that unfairly press upon them,
we would recommend that the expense of gaols, lunatic
asylums, and criminal prosecutions, Abell no :.pager remain
a charge upon landed property, that in future all climes
who derive an income out of lands, shall bear their equitable
proportion of the taxation which affects it.-23. That haying
now suggestea what appears to us to be the best means of
absorbing surplus labour, and removing the obstacles which
fetter private enterprise, we express our firm and deeply
fixed conviction that any system of relief for the support of
the destitute, which is not based on the print iple of distin-
guishing between the proprietor who performs his duty and
him who neglects it, by exempting the former from any tax-
ation that may be rendered necessary by the default of the
latter, will be most injurious to the interests of every class in
the community.
Resolved—That in addition to the resolutions already
published, respecting temporary measures, the resolutions
now laid on the table, in relation to permant measures,
be submitted to the conference of peers, members of the
house of commons, and landed proprietors of Ireland, to be
holden at the Itotundo, on Thursday next That the secre-
taries be authorised to publish these latter resolutions, and
circulate them as extensively as possible previous to the
meeting.—J. Bovrox idAtisev , Chiurtnan.—Signed by order
of the committee.