, 1881-03-02
THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION
ON AGRICULTURE.

cially to the Irish land question. The gen.
eral condition of the tenants is described and
emigration and migration are recommend
ed, and on this question the report says -
"Your Commission are convinced that
emigration under a properly organized
scheme and as the voluntary act Of the peo-
pie would naturally tendtO relieve the con-
gestlon of the population, wherever it now
exists, and would conduce to the social.
moral, and material welfare of the emf.
grants and of the population remaining
behind"
emigration would involve the acquisi-
ton of tracts of land, and the trans.
fer to them of a part of the population
from other DISTRICTS
The report next refers to arterial drain
age and other public works. AS to the
question of tenure of land, the report says:
"The tenure of land has engaged a
considerable portion of our attention. The
difficulty of dealing with the subject
appears to be increased by the change of
ownership which has taken place in a
large portion of the soil of Ireland under
the provisions of the Encountered Estates
Act. Difficulties have been raised
regarding The assessments made by Sir Il.
Griffith, called Griffith's valuation, by the
endeavour to set up this valuation, which
was based on the price current 80 years
ago, as a standard of rent at the present
day. The circumstances under which the
valu alton was made are set forth in the
evidence of several Witnesses, and it is con-
clusively proved that the annualsvalue as
set forth in the document was not intended
to represent, and did not represent at the
date when the valuation was made the rem
tai value OF the property. Difficulty
also arises affecting the relationship Ofland-
lord and tenant right usages and customs to
which legal validity is given by the Act of
1870. Those usages or customs have III many
instances to be investigated and estab-
lished on oral and other evidence in a
court of law-a difficulty which is aggraya'
ted by the fact hat these customs are
shown by witnesses examined before us to
differ, not only in the same county, but
even upon the same estate.
Great stress has been laid upon the
want o. security felt by an improving ten
ant, which, it is alleged, limi S not only The
number of persons employed, but also the
quantity of food produced for the beneit
of the general community. Bearing III
mind the system by which the improve
mentS and equipments of a farm are very
generally the work of the tenant, and lhe
fact that a yearly tenant is at any time
liable to have his rents raised i'll cOnse-
quence of the increase in value that bas
been given to his holding by the expendl-
ture Of his own capital and labOur, the de-
sire for legislative interference 70 pro ect
him from on arbitrary increase of rent does
not seem unnatural, and we are inclined
to think that by the majority oflandowners
legislation properly framed to accomplish
this end would not be objected to.
"With a view of affording such security
fair rents fixity of tenure and free sale,
popularity known as the three Fs,' have
been strongly advocated by many witness
es, but none have been able to support these
propositions in their integrity without adj
uniting consequences that would. i'll our
opinion, involve In injustice to the land.
lord.
1t is only fair to add that the evidence
which has been brought before us shows
that there are very many estates on which
the tenants have no just ground of com
plant.
In laying before your Majesty this
preliminary report, we think it right to
state that as our inquiries into the causes
of the recent distress in Ireland have not
yet been completed, and as we are yet
waiting the receipt of reports from some
Of our assistant Commissioners with
reference to peasant proprietors i'll
Belgium Inc elsewhere, we do not
feel ourselves to be in a position to offer
any observations of a more definite charac-
ter than those now submitted.
All OF which We hunbly certify to