The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-15 00:00:00

TO 2'H EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

SIR—It Is not my.purpose to dispute whether It is or is not
expedient to effect an alieration in the existing Corn Laws ; at the
uric time I feel it incumbent on me to state that, as the expenses
of the landowner, the tenant, ant: the labourer, are so much in-
creased by the accumulation of direct mid indirect taxes, so it is
necessary that each of them should receive a fair remunerating
price, as far as their several interests are concerned.
It must be allowed that a considerable reduction has taken place
with regard to taxes, but these affect tha farmer and the labourer in
a less degree than any other parts of the community.
The tux most burdensome to the farmer (and of which I wish
more particularly to treat) Is, the tax levied for the relief of the
poor. I would not be misunderstood In treating on thin subject ;
my object is to show cause why the pnor's rates in many parts are
become so heavy, and in what manner they may be reduced, with-
out prejudice to the poor man, but to make his situation more use.

ful to himself and to society.
There is doubtless a difference of opinion respecting the
increase of our population of poor, and also as to the muse of
the increase, though it is most probable that there is -more
than one cause. _ I will endeavour to explain in as few words

as possible what I conceive to be one cause. During the time
that corn has been selling at a high price in England, it has !
been a practice with our farmers to take more land, witereyer
they could procure it, to the prejudice of all little farmers.
It is owing to this that the rent of a little farm per annum is so
much more than that of a large farm, as will be seen by a little
further explanation. It requires no argument to prove that a little
farmer occupying a large—or, au it is commonly termed, a good farm
—must he possessed of a sufficiency of capital to use it—and they
are generally men with an independent property. Now, supposing
a man is occupying a large farm, anti he has an opportunity of
increasing his business by taking a small one situated near where
he resides, he can always afford to give ten shillings an acre more
for such a farm than the man who lives and keeps hnuse'on it,
because the former has no additional housekeeping ; he merely takes
the ]soil, and lets the house to a cottager. I conceive this to be
the reason why all little farms pay a greater rent per acre than
large farms, and that very after when the land is inferior. It is
well known that the rents of small farms are so high, that no men
can take them to keep horse ms them. unless they can do nearly all
the labour themselves. This is owing chiefly to tire increased
amount of rent and poor tax which they have to pay, the poor
tax being always proportioned to the rent; and in general it will
be found that forma of from 50 to I:10 acres, are taken at a much

greater rent per acre than large farms of from 3 to 500 acres, or
more. Somennica the difference amounts to more than 50/. per

cent. Now, it is universally allowed that, where a man uses
three or four farina thrown together, he does not employ so
many labourers us the mine farm would employ if used sepa-
rately by different tenants ; and very often the land is not
so well cultivated, and does not produce so much corn, or bring up
so much stuck, as where the heal is used in small farms. A num-
ber of arguments might be drawn to prove this principle, particu-
larly on wet soils, which are of:en very indifferently farmed when
used as large farms. On the other hand, if used in small farms,
the labour is naive and better done, the land is more dry, and a
number of causes tend to make it produce more abundant crops ;
but unfortunately, from being over-rented, the little farmer finds
it impossible to carry on the business of his farm in the manner it
ought to be done, and he is obliged (though reluctantly) to yield to
the difficulty of his situation, and whenever the price of corn is re-
duced, from the opening of the ports or any other cause, lie is finally
obliged to give up business, and collie to the patish, to in-
crease the number of those poor men who are unfortunately
though unavoidably) become so burdensome. I would ask, where
is the utility of ruining so useful a set of men as the little farmers
undoubtedly are, and bringing them to become chargeable to tin
different parishes, when, by a just and proper assessment of rent
and poor tax, they would employ more labourers than even the
great farmers themselves. It is true that the expense of house-
keeping on a farm of 50 acres will amount to nearly or quite as
much as on one of 150 acres. But if I may be allowed to give an
opition. I think that the less number of acres a person uses, an
moth the less ought he to be need per acre to the poor rates, in
order to give hint a chance of living. as lie does others,
by confining his business to the culture of one small farm.
On the contrary, when a man uses a large farm, he is not al-
ways satisfied till lie has added a considerable number of
acres more, thereby hindering men who have small capitals from
employing theirs in order to obtain a livelihood. I would not
be understood to wish to prevent men from using large farms ; but
I think that where a large farmer pays a pound an acre for his
land, and the little fanner pays from thirty shillings to two pounds
for land of the same quality and goodness, there certainly ought to
be a greater distinction made in what each pays towards the support
of the mem especially when numerous instances are to be found
where the latter employs a greater proportion of labourers than the
former. And it is equally pernicious when tradesmen become
farmers, using perhaps the beat land, when they have a good busi.
ness without it. Their situation then is exactly similar to
that of the large farmers who have increased their business.
They have no house to keep when they take a farm. consequently
can giye a higher rent than any farmer who resides and keeps
house on the premises. I think that tradesmen or innkeepers using
farms ought to oe rated to the poor book as high as a farmer who
uses double the quantity of land ; because they usually employ a
less proportion of labourers than the farmer, by reason of doing
come part of agricultural labour by the servants they are obliged to
keep fur the purposes of their trade or business.
That large farms are become the desired object of the present
day among farmers, is a fact too well known to be disputed ; and
it has been too mach the practice of landlords to throw small farms
together, and let them for a lower rent in one farm. This, what-
ever may be urged to the contrary, is a misfortune to the commu-
nity ; for, if we take, for example, a farm of one thousand acres,
used by one man, and making allowance for the use of different
i machines, he does not employ more than ten men, and very likely
not so many. On the contrary, if 1900 acres be occupied in ten
farms by different tenants, they will employ half as many more, if
hot twice as many ; at any rate, reckoning the tenants themselves,
twice as many men will be in active and useful employment. The
'labourers would lie better paid than by the large farmers; and al-
-1 together they would cunae a considerable increase in the consump-
tion of all kinds of manufac:ures, and without doubt would be
doiag greater good to the comnittnity at large. The corn would
come to market with more regularity, and many of those practices
and shifts which are now become so pernicious would be set aside.
But the greatest evil arising from large loins is, that they are al-
-1 ways situated in the best land ; in fact, where the land is inferior,
ferment are never so ready to take it, and hence it is that poor soils
are occupied by the old race of farmers. These latter are obliged
to sell their corn when they want money, which generally happens
at 'Michaelmas and Christmas. The large occupiers, on the con-
trary, can preserve theirs till they make the best price of it; and
hence it is that the price of corn is always highest from Ladytide
till harvest, excepting the years when the country was glutted with
foreign corn. It was in the years lila 21, and 22, during the de-
pression in the price, that the little farmers, arid those occupying
poor lands, were the greatest sufferers.
Considering then the many advantages that a large occupier poi.-
, sesses in comparison with a small one, and most particularly the
power which lie at all times possesses to take his farm, by being
able to give a greater rent for it, it is become highly necessary that
sonic more protection should be afforded to the latter, in order that
they niay have equal advantages with the former in cultivating their
land. It is in vain to urge that land canuot be cultivated in small
farms . • and there are abundance of proofs of land having been so
occupied formerly. The only reason why they cannot now be culti-
vated in the same manner is owing entirely to the too high rent that
they are obliged to pay per acre more than large ones. It may
be demanded, why a person is not to use a large tarn, if he has a
sufficiency of capital to carry on the business ? To which I an-
swer, let him use as much land as he plumes ; but, its it is hurtful
and pernicious in every point of view to the prosperity of the coun-
try, let him be rated, and pay towards labour and the relief of the
poor in proportion to the chastity of land he occupies. But as
there is a very great distinction between good land and bad, it is
necessary that the rent should determine the amount which each
man should pay towards owns' rates and labour. To explain the
subject more clearly, let small farms. paying a rent under 50/. per
annum, be rated in the poor book at 23 per cent. on such rem;
next, let farina above 501. a-year rent and under 1991. be rated at
30 per cent. on the rent; above 1001 and under 2001. a-year rent, at
35 per cent. ; and so on progressively to any amount of rent paid.
By these means the interest of the small occupiers will be pro-
meted; and if all land-owners wove to bend their minds towards
making some division in the largest farms, by converting them into
smaller ones, the capital necessary to be employed would be recur.
oil by the increase in the valne of the property. But this is not the
only measure necessary to be pursued in these times of distress.
The situation of the labourer himself demands some examination.
It is well known, that the labourers in souse parishes with large
families receive from eight to ten shillings a-week, relief. But sup-
posing he receives five shillings aweek, it of course, amounts to 13/.
a year. Now the only method of reducing this heavy expense on
the landed interests, and, at the moue time, to make the situation of
the labourer more comfortable to himself and more useful to so-
ciety, is. to let sober, honest, industrious men have a small quantity
of land (soy an acre) to cultivate themselves. Ilsre they would
find employment, when they could not meet with it in other places. '
Our population of poor having now become so great, and as their
wants arc confined to an honest livelihood and subsistence, this I
believe to be the only way by which this great object can be ac-
complished. For tide plume, suppose a capital be formed under
Act of Parliament, whose object shall be to purchase land, and
divide it in smell quantities for labourers, and erect cottages
thereon. I am led to believe that the rent which these men
would be able to pay would be found a good interest
tee the money expended, and the land would be secured to them
by the means betore stated, having little else to pay but the rent.
It has been in time of prosperity that all little places of this kind
have been monopolised by the large farmer; being for the most put
well cultivated, and always a tempting object to a farmer, and
have hem taken in the some manner as little farms. The honest '1
labourer, being thus provided with some means of subsistence
besides his earnings, would be in a condition to support hinted('
without assistance front the parish, and would be an example to'
other poor men to imitate his habits of industry, and gradually the
poor's rates would decrease, and in the course of time become very
trifling. It would be then thaE the Corn Laws might undergo
some alteration, without fear of injuring any part of the come
niunity. The only preventative existing at the present time is,
that the eituation of the poor man and little fernier, and the farmers
who occupy poor land, would be very distressing. But if the
land were relieved from the burden of the poor's rates, and the
interest of the little fanner secured by the means which I have
endeavoured, though imperfectly, to explain, I believe that some
alteration in the Corn Laws would then be a public benefit. At
any rate the price of corn could then be reduced, by putting the