New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-08
LOCAL. MISCELLANY.

THE BRITISH AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION
sHE RESOURCES OF AMERICA TO BE iN'hsio '
BRITISH FARMERS INJURED Bf A"hHi.AN
pucrs AND SERIES OF BAD CROPS
The British Government has appointed co"l"i =,
sion "a investigate the condition Of agriculture !"
Greet Britain Continental Europe ana A"c,'."'
Tho commission numbers twenty members an" u"
udes the Duke of Buccleuch, who Is SAID 10 pe .no
xvealthiest landed proprietor In the woro' anu 'N'
smallest landowner IN Parliament, ROBERT a.'0'
40, whose estate il valued at about fS steriing'
This commission is to sit In England ana III HUT
t,en special commissioners will visit various par"
Of Europe aud America aud report to the farHs-
uentarv Commission upon the state OF az
riculture in the lands they visit oiare
sswel Read. member for Norfolk, and Albert
pou member for South Leicestcrshire. both large
farmers. were appointed TO visit this country, ana
arrived Yesterday morning In the City of MONTREAL.
In an interview with TRIBUNE reporter they said
that the agricultural interests of England were
never in 50 depressed condition as now, ana 'ha'
this was due to bad crops and American compe'i'on'
The land question, they say does not ahect IL AZ all
The agricultural laborer, according to ther s'"'e-
,nent hiss in some way benefited by the depress9n.
They reported them being now more luiy
smrloyed and better paid than for many years
P'Ss IJors came this commission to be appointed y
osked the reporter of Mr. Read.
In was i'm consequence of q motion made In the
House OF Commons by MIR. Chaplin the Sohsei,v,a
tive member for Lincoln, and seconded ny MI.
Rrassev a leading Liberal. Being pressed on poIn
sides the Gavcrnmcnt had 10 grant the commission
We are not on the original cpmm MS mur
rcinted by it, but appointed by the uoVeihHlcn'
foinvcstigate and prepare report Tor tne o'' -;
mission upon the condition OF agrlcul.uITe I'M III
America and Canada. The principle oDlecIi SUI
SO is 10 sec whether the immense territories YOU
have in the West likely TO continue to fr nasi
the present or q greater supply oi wheat ""u "'"'
Tx fhf urpSfut pIlCfS.
"Do You consider that the present prices Oh A,nel
lean products in England place them Vitnin rea'"
Certainly; they are so much within the reae Sn
of the people that il IL occasionng conS,ueinale
Lardship TO the cultivators of land there we nave
lad NO GOOD crops of gram in England since loLt
ana this of course. has done much to produce lhe
depression br IN Ior's Generally Compensated by
good prices Now the prices are very low indeed s'
and from the two circumstances anyone can uhuers
stand that there must DC cOnslueIaDie anoun'V VA
Dies this affect the laboring classesp asked the
''I No. don't think IL doesr replied Mr. Read en-
phaticaly, and turning toward Mr. Peli for corroo-
Grafton, NJ. po,,. 4" .horo & M loc,,
of employment and laborcrs certainly receive more
money and do less work than ever they did before.
:" And the cost of living is much less" observed
Very much less" acquiesced Mr.. Pell.
"What is the average crop OF wheat tins year 7
"I'pOn the whole harvest there VIII certainly ap-
onr hay crops are heavy" remarked Mr.. Pell.
..bnt much of II has been spoiled In the harvesting
There never WAS much grass and SO little stored
in good condition. In my county leicester the
crops have been unusually heavy all down the val,
levs hut the flooding of the streams has carried
away tons OF IT, and the rest is full of grit and sand
and almost worthless We have bad fearfuly bad
hight sun shine Ike this. The market gardeners,
TOO are louy complaining There have been So civ
any yegetsb es exefnl peas; s'd Oo'h vegetables
NV .vrrT bad wear for fruit" Mr.. al observed.
" | have two LARGE orchards. but ! don't tmnk
shall get more than two bushels oil apples from
lit is argued continued Mr.. Read, that the
land is masscd in large quantities. ana that the
common people cannot get hold Of any. Mr. Bright
g. very much in favor of a peasant proprietorsip.
and thinks that if men iarIned their own land II
would bc better for the country at large. Now II
strikes me that our present system OF farming-wlth
landlords tenants and lahorers-is the bes' for the
country and for the people. For myself, find 1t
much better 10 hire land for the purpose OF ocepa,
f,on than 10 purchase it, Bat there is plenty OF land
to be sold. There are thousands and thousands of
acres for SALE in lots Of all sizes, from ten to 900
acres The law of primOgenlture restricts the rat-
fic in land i am the owner OF a farm myself which
would like to sell But this law cuts both ways.
IL prevents the small owners from becoming ex-
tnct should like to see each man working his
own farm. but before that should ike 10 see hlm
have a house of his 1t does not follow that he
wants a farm. For all this cry that l. made about
the large landowners there plenty OF farms for
sale of all sorts and sizes, and man can rs easily
Ret.1 0"' - 1' ''D "'' '''7 ~ wy w
1" In the town OF leicester" remarked MI Peli
"nearly all the houses belong to the people Inc
artisan has an ambition 20 possess u house Of his
own aud ie generally succeeds
a. }y the ard of building societieSW
"Yes. largely. In London also, the working
classes own large numbers of dwellings There they
obtain long leases OfniDetynne years generalyat a
nominal rent. Nearly all the residences N the
suburbs of London are on land leased IN this way.
and from the small amount paid and the long time
they run they are looked upon as being as good as
freeholds. In the watering places particularly. -.
IeonardS for instance, this mode is adopted.
There all the land belongs TO atew people In Lcces-
fer and Norwich. however, people don't care for
le9seholds; they buy their land before they begin
to build"
How long do you stay in this cityi' asked the
reporter. e.. , -, 49, .,..,.,.
the West down as far rs Texas perhaps, reaching
Washington for an inspection of the Agricultural
Department about December. motion was intro
tuced i'm the House of Commons for the appoint
rnent of a Minister OF Agriculture. but II was not
largely supported | think 10 more likely that a
special department devoted to agriculture, will be
added 10 the Board of Trade than that u new Minis
ter will be created"