The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-05
New Light on an Interesting Question

| new liSut Ou IN QutstiOUs
The address pronounced some months ago
at Edinburgh by Mr.. FROUDE has provoked
n great deal Of discussion in the English
press. What deserves special motto In this
debate is the number of new facts. or cor
rcctions of data supposed 10 be authentic.
which have been brought to light and
firmly established.
Up TO ten years ago the defence Of the
| English land system on grounds of prnci-
| pie was seldom attempted, two things being
taken for granted first, that the arabic soil OF
| the United Kingdom was concentrated in "A
few hands aud secondly, that such a state OF
things was mischicVous. Now, however,
Mr.. FRoupE and his cuadiutors maintain,
| ON the strength Of the new DOmcsday Books,
that the ownership Of land is far more
infinitely suOdividcd than was imagined;
| and further, that the tendency to aggrc-
| CATION which confesscdv exists, is the re-
! suit OF economic laws independent Of lcgis-
| lation. They also affirm. on the faith Of
comparative statistics. that agricultural
production in England is larger than In
other countries, because the farms are
larger. Weare happy to say that the friends
| OF liberal institutions have been able TO ex-
pose the fallacy Of these assertions.
There Is no doubt that the returns recent
ly made public appear upon their face to
contradict In some measure the current
notions respecting the distribution Of the
British soil According to these Blue Books,
prepared by a Conservative Government.
upward OF eleven and half millions OF
acres belong to not fewer than 9d9,Ooo indi-
viduals. in parcels varying i'm size from one
H.a.. Nm,
about thirteen thousand persons are re-
turned as owning the remaining four-ffths
Of the soil Of Great Britain. exclusive Of
that within metropolitan boundaries An
analysis OF this report, however discloscs
more than the average amount Of mendacity
which experience has taught us To Assoc
| ciate with tahulated statistics. For example,
| the number Of owners a. be credited with
| fouriifths Of the British soil turns out. upon
close scrutiny, 10 bc nearer five than thirteen
thousand. To begin with the mobiles, Of
whom there are about five hundred one the
Duke OF BUcCLEUCH, IS counted as fourteen
landowners in the official list his Grace
having estates in no fewer than fourteen
counties There are four peers who are re-
turned as forty-four individual proprietors,
because each happens 10 appear on the roll
Of eleven counties. In three shrcs the
Duke OF BEDFORD figures rs the possessor
of more than ten thousand acres, while in
two others he IL presented as the holder Of
more than one and less than one hundred
acres Errors precisely analogous run
through the whole category Of large pro-
prictors, and demonstrate the fallacious
character Of the published estimate.
The grand total o: 2GJOOo persons, TO whom
the new Domesday Books. issued under Con-
servatiye auspices, assign one-iifth Of the
land Of Britain, is in great part made up
Of gentlemen owners Of two or three
acres OF lawn and shruhbery aud of
trndesmon owners ~ what is known as "ac-
commodatiun land in the neighborhood 81
the towns in which their business Is carried
on. OF peasant propiotors there is hut a
mere handful probably not more than
5000. Here too, as in the class before
examined, the name Of a particular propri-
c,or will Ice found many times repeated.
Tho Northwestern Railway is counted a.
heavyweight land owners, while in the
county ~ Bucks the Trustees Of the Poor
stand for forty frccholdrrs. In every shire
the list of small prVprictors iucludos hum
dr%ls OF cloIgymon vino are only Possessed
q glebo lands, which are held in ruOltmain,
Imperfect az the official returns are seen
To lie, they d. not disguise one capital fact,
that iour-nlths of the british soil il ia the
hands OF a body Of persons who could ho
put into Exeter Hall hut according 10 Mr
FHuUDT, this ABSORPTION 81 land by the riu n
4, u result II the same economic law which
brings diamonds into their Possession. Iho
reason, he says, why small properties an
hong constantly added 10 tine large, and
why a great estate Whom offered for salc H.
not broken up into small parcels. is because
small capitalists seek the highest rate ui
interest, and an investment IN llud produces
the lowest. This statement is not absolutely
borne ont by facts, since it Is precisely Tho
class of small investors that supports ia,
Post once Savings Banks, which return
only ?! per cent. British savings banks
in general mold an amount nearly cquA
to one years revenue Of the United
Kingdom for a return less than IN,
average received by landowners. Out-id,
If Great Britain, and notably in France
the economies Of the multitude are invested
either in hand or in the public funds. Moro
over, ownership produces on the part of ia,
ocoupicr labor which n householder would
''' h'f'' NiN iAi4l " IL ia Ali' ilAA't1 ''
tenants yields but three per cent on IN,
pun base money might ho made 10 produc,
MN" yer cent. That We are within the facts
J. proved bythe case Of the Channel islands
In England % shiilings il thought rather d
high rent for mlddllng land. but il IS uuly
Inferior laud in Jersey and Gucrney, wher,
the average Size Of the holdings is very
small that will not let for nj least so shi
ings The truth Is that. the small investor
III Great Britain Is dcSerled from purchas