The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-26
VINO OWNS GREAT BRITAIN.
Whole Districts In scotland DepopuIated 10
Make Room for Game Parks.

Whole Districts In scotland Depopulated 10 |
Make Room for Game Parks.
LONDON. June 15-Some years ago, when
the evils Of the land laws and the distribution
OF the land in this country were under discus
sion. John Stuart Mill and John Bright averred
that less than 5000 persons owned all the land
Of Great Britain and Ireland. The present
Earl OF Derby. who is himself the owner OF
63.s3i acres said he believed there were more
nearly 100000. and. at his motion. a kind OF
modern Domesday Book" was prepared. con-
tanning carefully collected returns as 10 The
ownership Of all the land in the kingdom. ex-
cept the metropolitan area Of London. These
returns showed no less than 1.l7372l owners
Of land. and that .43s OF these owned less
than an acre each.
Immense areas Of land are leased on terms OF
90 and 800 years. The number Of these leases.
even Of the latter class. is simply enormous.
Strange TO say. all leasehods for more than 90
years have been classed as frceholds. and GER
tain classes OF leases for only 90 years have also
been called freoholds. That is. immense num-
bcrs Of easohods have been put down as own
ers OF land. more gross mistake could not
well be- made. The essential feature Of owner
shin is that tho land shall not be under tribute
10 any one else. These leases always lack this
rent il always paid. More than that all fixtures
including houses. no matter n all have boon put
{ ere ut the expense Of the tenant. become
absolutely tho property Of the owner OF the
land on the expiration Of the lease. The tenant
houses asylums. and other charitable or public
corporate bodies have also been called owners
of land This also is manifcsty An error Then
again. most ahsurdly OF all. each Individual
owner of land has been counted a. many times
a. the number OF counties in which ha owns
land. The Duke OF Buceleueh and bloomsbury
owners in the list The Duke OF Devonshire
il .ft IN
| fourteen owners Of land. Many good authori-
ties bslieve that "a lust calculation would have
proved Messr-. Mill and Brighdwthin the mark
when they put the number oil land owners in
the kingdom al 10000
The great areas ol land In this country owned
| by single indiylduals are paraeied in no other
| country. Whole towns often pay ground rent
| 10 one man. Rochdule. town Of 10000 lnhabi-
tanis. has very little freehold land. md three
men receive ground rent from about nine
| tenths Of the land on which the town is built
Sheffield has fully quarteroi million inhabi-
| tants The greater part OF tho lands upon
which IL stands belongs tq the Duke Of Norfolk;
and pays ground rent 10 his Grace; such land
monopoly is the prevailing. rule in town and
! country everywhere in the Kingdom. London
il no exception. The vast estates Of the Duke
Qf Westminster. the Duke Of Portland. and
known. Whole districts pour rents into their
| already half-hursting golfers. Everywhere
there is n tendency toward the increase Of cs
tate:. and the small peasant proprlotors. who
| are rapidly disappearing.
Parliament does not touch the land question.
| Tor peers ana coininonelh ARE hllhe usually
great landlords or capitalists themselves. Mr..
Froude, who Is an advocate OF me present sys-
tenn of land laws. candldly admits that the
| House Of Lords does own more than a Wrd Of
| the whole area Of Great Britain"
Prlmogeniture is. OF course very largely to
| blame for the unjust distribution of land. Great
estates pass undivided and in regular descent
| from father 10 son. through many generations.
! The value Of land. especially in the towns. is
always ON the rise, and tho incomes of these
great landlords are constantly growing. Bat
! fxf. .ft nf
are preposterously intricate and clumsy and
the work Of transferring the ownership OF
! tract Of land Is n very serious mhtter indeed.
| An English writer, well yersed IN the land laws
OF the country, says'
Ihayc known deed Of settlement Of one estate to
fsrrow oid OF paper when wriuen.oui preparatory 10
S6oat = 660 Ter rhc convey ysuccrs charsc, alone Win
rcckonus ccr The solicitors charges VI te c0st Of
the necessary stamps
Tho same writer adds:
A y VIII all nj G sa%Groq: @ OF :. c9,y Ny c,, 99a omo' ,s @9
! D. ever Tree from some doubt or question
The total area Of England and Wales. not in
| Guiding London. Is 3l 2i3 o59 acres, ono man
owns more than ls6,3O7 acres. another moro
/ than 1872 g9G acres. and another more than lO2,-
| 7s5 acres. SiXty-slX persons own AN aggregate
Of 1.9l7076 acres; 100 yelsens own S.9l7G4l
| acres $50 prrsOns own 3 425 76i acres, or near
| ly a sixth of ENGLAND and Wales and 40 per
sons own one-lourth OF all England ana wales;
| A very mOderate-slz"d church would hOlu all
| those princcly landlords ...
The total area Of scotland ia 1s,94G.G9t acres
l.1lN ~
| 43l 900 acres; third. 42luOO arrcs fourth
| 373 1000 ncres and It lith BOG O01 acres. Twelve
| persons own noarly one-tounh OF scotland, ana
| twenty ncrsons have more lhhn l2uOuo hrrrs
| oarh Seventy persons have about 94O0nnO
| acres or about one-hAlf of scotland, and LOO
| prr-ons own no less than nine-tenths OF the
! whole of scotland. Nowhere else IN the whole
| kingdom have the small peasant proprlrtors
| suffered ms badly IA here. Whole districts have
| been almost dppOpulated to mako room for
! gano parks. and whore hundreds OF thousands
| OF sheep used 10 feed now only deer are kept
/ Il,..t ar. .,f rtI ~
| person owns l70.ll0ncres; persons own more
! ihan 10000 acres each IA persons own moro
| than $4,000 acres each; 80 persons own more
| 10000 res rnch. Seven hundred and forty -four
! p'r-ous own 9.Gl272o acres or nearly h"h the
| eut re island, 49,
! al t..renus own more than 100000 res rHoh.
| give the number Of acres held by Il lew oi the
| largest owners;
Duke of sutherland ......,. ,. 90. 9ls 425 acres
b"Gc Of Rae'ie@s6 ani Qdccn,Dury' 4se2eo aelg.
Sll .aurs Ntthf .t,.t.t,...., s. liu acres
Lari o Bicadt bnnc ...,.,,....,,..,.. 81 ln acres
nokc Of Rohmoul 3s41 3s4 'o5 acre acre,
h"SsuicT ,hc,on 22lil acre,
! Dnkc ~ p.Nun,hc ...,,,.,,,. ,'..' i"l2l acre
Iukc 40 Aoruunbrr rraud .,,,...,..,,, - ,. acres
Iuse OF Ars,li. .,..........,, i7'li ncrcs
The chief parts Of the estates Of all these. oN.
| Northumberland Hro in S.0tlnnd. But though
the rntntcs of ) Oilind are larger, those OF Eng
| land are usually much more vnlunbie Ine
land OF the Duke OF sutherland Is nchrly M ~
| the county of sutherland in the extreme norm
| oi Scotland though he has z zoo acres IN
| Stnfiordshiro, England. und lfoOO hcreS IN
| Shropshire. Wales W.
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