, 1872-12-26
PERIODICAL LITERATURE.
The Fortnight1y Review and
London Quarterly.
~
Henry FaYcett on SThe Nati0naliZa-
::S*:',~ s:' ton Of Lands

Henry FaWcett On "The Nationallza-
!: :S*s:, Sss, ton Of Land.''
Ef:sThe Personnel Of Fourier
{E4s= -
tsE: The Eortnight1y ReFiexv.
}Haury FaHcett, II. P, who is well known 1of
Ills ECONOMIC studiea. which are OF extraordinary
:sIsurs considering that he labors under thF
peculiar disadvantage Of being blind, opens TIE
;t97brf.ightv Reuieto With paper on
sa<. .s1HE SAr1oSAL1zkr1oS oE LAND.
he shows cause Why the schemes q the
:4nternationals other modern Socialists TOT the
abolition Of private property in land can never
sba: :matls to worl s1d why, they coro, the
rsEs3nlt wou,3 be simply greater aoclal ma eco
ntttnie Ills Than those from which the soclaus's
Aeac He. says:
is difficult estimate .ith precision sne
vide of The whole landed property the e s r.
n66efsnt AUTHORITIES say that tEs vs1ue o. III .ee
dand housea OF this eountry xe oSa S5 HI4d This
eous sum- exceeding BY st1> fartn Is Dof of State
s3oe ~ e.2rq 70 ps 1T Of Ills policy
f s,i ati6nsiizne tho instru1na,- production For
sc eac expenditure had been a. 1eas+ ~ AN
and houses T. y pTona1sb u {,arebasiee te ra
I11es buildings and yarios other appliances
hh constitute the pap rne
Sd pSsFe esn T. nas lis II 90
5at e. II p0ssne eta has net bean IN the
HHrhtest degree injured by ts s2cia anu p;1
revolution WITCH the menheI1 ot tus 4I 1*
fgrsalyes admit must in all probab1ty take plaee
hafnTa4eT car Iona to see tbir schemes practically
reaK1ed. It 1n2y, therefore, g1ane e. sno io 49,
1Sdd b. raised on the same terms IS II nothing naa
sSSrnd ~ Gistrr1, the credi Of the county,. Our
s1rei1iment is now aele to,or1ow at the rate OF ~
ea cent Sir John Leezs L,oooezs has I'D VIZ ercat
nxperence il monetary aiairs expresses conhdens
1 oId1lou that the raaing 50 isfgs loan "nean n
sge the rate Of iuterc< st least per cent IT, there
fore arpesrs. after naaing proper allowance for the
tost Of collection and management tnae Tug @ FL
would not be au to ss npfroT T. ls ~ 1T res
to suppose that twoud be necessary 70 pay con-
siderahlJ higher rateof interest T. howeses *aas
cant were pad the zonral charge involved in such
loan would be 0n. This sum exceeds by 1ear-
three timee PRESENT national debt Atermas,ne
due auowaucc for expenses Involved In management,
collection Of rents, tu repairs, and II NE
keeon Of Buildings. it can scarcely be aonetea
1t yield lis present market Prise rs.afn n ..
than s& per cent. There would, therefore, o.
loss OF X per upon the purchase, or. IN other
Eurds the.a would b. annual deficit Of ESQ 600 o
This aree deficiency would exist, even the rant of
tsined II il present hgh level. But is not reduc
J. lion In rent the chief advantage which lle advocates
: 81 this nktionalzing policy hope to eecure7 The
rent is too high is the chief which las
led to the enthusiastic adoption Of the pro-
other Socialists would be the first to admit that tlley
hzd been bitterly disappointed and cruelty deceived
they found after thetr schemes had been reazed tbs
ftny-were obliged to pay just high price ever
for permission to cultivate the lana for the priv
lege at obtaining certain amount Of
tns State purchased the an and houses the t1apnsc-
ton woud involve an annual Loss Of at east ESQ 600
and tteloss would be ar greater than s il rents
not maintained at what is generally deu ounced
"a their present exttayagapt rate.
i Beside this must be considered the jobbery,
miRmanagement, e1traragance, and incapacity,
which always attend Governmental adninistra-
ton. This would add s1oo, ,oo0, 900 q year to tina
cost Of nationalizing the land To many it may
Reem as if Mr. Fawcett we're wasting his time in
discussing project which, to Americans, eeems
30 preposterous hut it must be borne in mind
that the English land question ia one OF mo-
nentous Importance, and, in addition, that, as q
matter Of abstract politico-economical theory,
no less eminent thinkers than John Stuart
III HI and Herbert Spencer have yielded
p, the doctrine that individual owner
hip Of land is public wrong There are diff
culties attending the echeme besides its e1-
peuse. ssNhat method Of selection il it pro-
posed to adopt IN order to decide who ehal be
the favored tenants to be located on fertile and
picturesque land within easy reach OF large
towns and who, On the other hand, are to be
Lie u1forttunates who ere to be deported to the
{ bleak moo-s OF Yorkshire or to the dreary
wastes Of Sutherlandahire Z"
Competition would 1t once arise between the
rich and the poor, and the latter would soon be
rs badly of as at present. Even il
the Socialists dream Of the aboh'
tion Of competition we're realized II
one direction, sit would simply exert its aetiv-
ify in q somewha: different direction. II the
State decided to let erery plot OF land at ar
uniform nate, it is obvious that there would be
IS active competition as there is dow to obtair
ehs most fertile and the uaoat conyenientl5~aitu
tied allotment. The Government You'd hare
olsced in it's hands al entirely unprecedented
,portunity Of rewarding friends and Of punish
g foes. The vast sum which Is represented b
difference in value between the morn pro
:. and the less productive land would be
lly placed at the disposal OF the State te
as patronage. AS natural conse.
ee, the Whole community would be demon
ed and degraded"
The theory l., that the State should let ths
,nd-at fair and moderate rent. But, if tie
bositipn OF moderate rents is that which il
Iesired, it is manifest that the charging ct t
. uniform price for the use Of land would entirely
: defeat ING ouIECG Souk11t ~ oc 1tAaAAeA- =
: pound an acre would be an extremely noderas<
price to pay for some land; but, in other IL
Atances it would represent q rent so e1cessi1t
that, If it were imposed, land would be throw
r. nut Of cultivation. Five pounds an acre charga
-: tor land in tho neighborhood Of large towns ma
q be very much lower rent than two ehilnnge q:
: acre for land on the Scotch or North OF Eng1an
!: moors. There cannot be a greater fallacy tha:
to suppose that the h1gheRt-rented land is til
dearest, or that the IoWest~rented land Ia th
:. cheapest"
Another insuperable obstacle is the increas
Of population:
i 1mpractcab1e the scherne Of naturalization ha
" been shown 10 be- yet the insurnountable ddcultte
which Lie IN its way cannot be fully appreciated Unit
we inquire what provision would be made under suc
scheme for the maintenance and employment Of Al
increased population. At the present time it Know
that the population Of this country Is augmented dur
ing eaeh ten years By about L cent. At this rat