The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-07
ENGLISH LAND OWNERS.
How Land Is Concentrated In the Hands
Of n Few Persons.


OF q Few Persons.
The great areas Of land In England
owned by single individuals are paral-
leled In no other country. Whole towns
often pay ground rent to one man.
Rochdale, town Of 10000 inhabitants,
has very little freehold land, and three
men receive ground rent from about
nine-tenths OF the land on which the
town is built Sheffield has fully q
quarter Of q million inhabitants. The
greater part Of the lands upon which it
stands belongs to the Duke OF Norfolk,
and pays ground rent to his Grace.
Such land monopoly Is the prevailing
rule In town and country everywhere in
the kingdom. London is no exception.
The vast estates of the Duke of Vest
minister. the Duke Of Portland and Lord
Portman, In the metropolis, are well
known. Whole districts pour rents into
their already half-burstiDg Golfers.
Everywhere there is tendency toward
the increase of estates, and the small
peasant proprietors, who used to be
plenty In some parts Of the country, are
rapidly disappearing.
Parliament does not touch the land
question. for peers aud commoners are
alike usually great landlords or capital
lists themselves. Mr.. Froude, who Is an
advocate Of the present system OF land
laws, candidly admits that 1.-THE House
or Lords does own more than O third Of
the whole area of Great Britain"
Primogeniture is, Of course, very
largely TO blame for the unjust distribu
ton OF land. Great estates pass undi-
vided and In regular descent from IA
ther to son, through many generations.
| The value Of land, especially in the
| towns, Ia always on the rise, and the in
comes of these great landlords are con-
stantly growing. But primogeniture Is
not all that hinders the division Of
those great estates. The land laws are
preposterously intricate and clumsy, and
| the work of transferring the ownership
Of tract Of land Is very serious mat
ter indeed. An English writer, we'll
versed in the land laws Of the country,
SAYS:
have known the deed OF settlement of one
estate to require many months for Its prepa-
ration; to cover nearly barrow load of paper
when written out preparatory to being en-
crossed on parchment, and to cost over $4,000
| about 100000 for the c0nveyanCer's charges
alone, without reckoning either the solicitors
charges or the cost Of necessary stamps.
The same writer adds:
And yet. with oil this Cumbrous, costly and
almost unintelligible yerbosty, the title OF
such an estate is scarcely ever free from some
doubt or question.
The total area Of England and Wales,
not including London, is 37,243. 859
acres, One man owns more than 1885,
397 acres, another more than 1872, 996
acres, and another more than 100, 7s5
acres. Sixty-six persons own an aggre-
gate of 1,917,076 acres 100 persons own
8, 1917, Gal acres; $50 persons own 5, 425, 764
acres, or nearly sixth of England and
Wales; and no persons own one-fourth
of all England and Wales. A very
mr. III Ysn 70 iv n oh xunitII hnI al
these princely landlords.
The total area OF Scotland is IS, 946,-
694 acres. One man owns 1858, 425
acres; a second owns AL 600 acres;
third, 424 600; fourth, 373, 900 acres
and fifth, 306, 900 acres. Twelve per-
sons own nearly one-fourth OF Scotland
and twenty persons have more than
1870, 900 acres each. Seventy persons
have about 3, 100000 acres, or about one
half Of Scotland, and 100 persons own
no less than nine-tenths of the whole of
Scotland. Nowhere else in the whole
kingdom have the small peasant pro-
prietors suffered as badly as here.
Whole districts have been almost de-
populated to make room for game
parks. and where hundreds of thous-
ands of sheep used to feed now only
deer are kept.
The area Of Ireland is q, 159, 678 acres.
One person owns 40 119 acres; 3 per-
sons own more than 1000 acres each
IA persons own more than 80, 900 acres
each 80 persons own more than 10000
acres each; and 1876 own more than
10000 acres each. Seven hundred and
forty-four persons own 1912 72S acres,
or nearly one half the entire island.
In the whole United Kingdom per-
sons own more than 900 900 acres each,
and no less than Al persons own more
than 100, 900 acres each. give the num-
Der of acres held by a few of the largest
owners:
Duke of Sutherland acres .........1 ,358.42
Duke of Buccelugh and Queensbury. 45926O
Sir James Matheson. ................. 406,070
Earl of Breadalbane .................. 372,729
Earl of Seafield INSTRUMENTATION. 305,8
Duke OF Richmond. ................... 286.407
Earl OF Fife. Observation-Disclosures. 257.652
Alexander Matheson. ................. 220433
Duke of AthOl Observation-Disclosures. $40
Duke Of DevOnshire. ...............,.. 1921
Duke of Northumberland ............ 1855
Duke OF Argyll. Observation-Disclosures. 175,114