The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-15
The New Irish Land Bill.

From the te~legraphed outline of the Irish
Land bill introduced on Monday in the
House Of Commons, one can easily see why
it fails to satisfy the Irish peasantry, of
whom Mr.. JOHN DILLON is the chief Parlia-
mentary spokesman. 1t was scarcely to be
expected that a Unionist Government, alb
solutely controlling the House Of Lords, and
backed by q majority Of over a hundred and
fifty in the popular chamber, would deal as
literally with tenants as Mr.. JOHN Nor
E wished to do last year. The wonder
is that the new Irish Secretary, Mr.. GER
AID BALFoUR, should be willing to make
concessions so considerable as those
which a personal study Of the and aues-
ton has led him to offer. When the new
bill becomes a law. the Irish tiller Of the soil
will be at least somewhat better off than he
Is now, whether he remains a tenant. or
avails himself Of the enlarged opportunities
to become a peasant proprietor.
1t is now fifteen years since the Glad
stone Land act was passed in the teeth OF
vehement protest on the part not only of
Conservatives, but also of many Wing land
lords, like the Duke Of ARGYLL. The author
Of that statute was accused of conf1scating
the landlords property because he assured to
the tenant what are known as the three F's.
namely, a fair rent, a fixed tenure, and the
free salesof his interest. Land courts were
organized for the purpose of determining
what would be an equitable rent, which,
once fixed, was to be unalterable for fifteen
years, during which term a tenant could
not be disturbed, 80 long as his rent was
punctually paid. Since 1881, however.
SO great has been the decline in the prices of
agricultural products, hat rents which
were then fair have become e%xorbitant. Nor
was the unreasonable length OF the term
during which rents were to be Interchangeable
the only defect of the Gladstone Land act.
Productive, also, of hardship was the pro-
vision requiring the positive assent of a
landlord In order to give validity to the sub
letting of a tenancy. The construction of
the statute, moreover, left doubtful the po-
sition in which the tenant would find him
self at the expiration OF his term. For in
stance, when his rent came to be fixed anew,
would the Improvements made by him con-
stitute any part Of the property on
which rent was to be paid Then again,
the purchase clauses of the Gladstone
measure had proved to be of but little
utility, satisfying neither the tenant nor the
landlord. The conversion OF the occupier
into a peasant proprietor through n loan Of
money by the State was more effectively
stimulated by the A%shbourne Land act OF
1886 This was supplemented In 1891 by
the Land Purchase act, whereby arrange
ments were made on a great scale for ad-
vancing to tenants the money needed for
Tho n,rchaaa ~ 4hatr hallio-o TL~
sums advanced were to be repaid in an
nual installments; but these were so
large that the privileges of the statute
were turned to account by n much
smaller number of tenants than had
been hoped for. This was a grievous disap-
pointment to the landlords, who had looked
forward to transferring, through the Land
Purchase act of 1901, the whole difficulty
OF dealing with the tenants TO the State. 10
afford the landlords relief by still further
facilitating the purchase Of holdings, Is I'M
doubtedly one OF the aims Of the bill intro
duced by Mr.. GERALD BALFoUR. But it
is only fair to say that in the interest Of ten
ants the measure also undertakes to remedy
some of the shortcomings which experience
has disclosed in the Gladstone Land act.
Let us first examine the new bill from the
tenants point OF view. We observe that
one clause makes valid the subletting OF a
tenancy even without the positive assent OF
the landowner, II it can DO shown that he
has passively acquiesced. Another clause
provides that, although al allowance may
once have been made to a tenant for i'm
p~rovements, a land court may award a
further sum OF money, II it can be shown
A.
the tenant was inadequate, Mr.. GERALD
BALFoUR also adopts from Mr.. MoRLEY's
abortive bill OF 1891 provisions defining the
legal position OF a tenant at the end OF
his statutory term, and f%orbidding any part
OF the readjusted rent To be assessed upon
the improvements made by him. Still more