Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-10
The Price of Wheat ana English
Church Salaries.
(New York SUM

Next 10 the British farmer no class In
England IS more interested in seeing the
price OF wheat kept up than the clergy Of
the Established Church, as the tthes on
which their salaries depend rise and fall
with tho price Of wheat Recently depu-
tsuon of clergymen waited upon the
Archbishop OF Canterbury 20 complain OF
their distressed condition. The Rev. Il. f..
Gspp, Of Chelmsford, IN EsseL, gave some
instances OF their poverty. one clergy
man Ia his deanery was unable TO pay
wages for q servant, another had to
groom his own pony. Chancellor LAS,
Of Colchester. In the same county, said
that his own living was worth only 81 $50
year and that after paying rates. taxes,
and curates salary he had but 1876 left.
From other parts Of England similar
complains are heard, and there would
appear TO be some basis for them. While
the salaries OF the ordinary clergy are
regulated on fuctuating scale, those Of
the Bishops remain always the same.
There are IN all England about 1900
parishes. and in fully half of these the
income Of the incumbent is less than $3.50
a year.
Up TO 1896 the 1.-THE OF produce, the an
cient provision for the maintenance Of the
clergy, was payable in kind, and though
at VARIOUS times attempts had been made
to modify this method it was not until
that year that 1t was finally commuted
and a payment in money substituted.
based on the average value of corn for
The preceding seven years. In some cases
The amount was as high as $3.50 an acre,
according TO the wheat-producing capa-
sity OF the land. The prices on which
The act OF Communication was based We're:
For wheat H.75 per bushel; for barley, 80
eents, and for oats. GO cents. At the time
his act was passed a new and additional
Extraordinary 1.-THE was imposed upon
hop, fruit. and market garden grounds,
and in many cases the 1.-THE so levied ex-
sesded the rental Of the land. being some
hines as high as $3.50 per acre.
While the price Of fruit. hops, and other
produce subject TO the charge kept up, it
was not felt so much but unlimited for
sgn competition soon brought down the
prices. and the pinch became serious.
While land could be rented at s. or Sc an
acre, the 1.-THE often exceeded those fig
1res. The result was that the farmers
began 20 resist, and i'm some Of the dis
tricts round London, particularly In
Kent. their resistance grew to riot.
The trouble at last reached such a pitch
that I'm 1856 another act of Parliament
provided that the extraordinary 1.-THE
should not be levied on land bought un-
DER such cultivation after the act was
passed. The consequence was that land
subject TO this particular 1.-THE was al
lowed to go out OF cultivation and fresh
land not subject TO II was taken up, TO
he cetriment of the landowners as well
as OF the clergy who depended on the
rents and extraordinary uthes for their
Incomes and salaries.
To show how seriously the incomes OF
the clergy OF the English Established
church have suffered il is only necessary
to examine the 1.-THE rent charge for the
past twenty-five years down TO the end
OF December, 1898. Taking G1O0, the
standard fixed on the basis OF wheat as
the value in the act Of 1896 as equivalent
TO $50. the 1.-THE rent charge stood in
1874 at S539.n. On January 1st Of this
year II had fallen TO S3369S. and as a con-
sequence the salaries Of those Of the cler-
gy OF the Established Church that depend
upon tithes have fallen in proportion
hence complaints such as those recently
laid before the Archbishop Of Canterbury,
and those appearing IN the columns OF
The English newspapers. This last fixing
OF the 1.-THE rent charge is the lowest
since 1896. and the 1.-THE Commissioners
anticipate that it will be lower still for
the coming year. During the slxty-three
years for which the 1.-THE rent charge has
now been calculated II has come out
thirty-one times above and thirty-two
times below the standard. Never before
has the value remained continuously be-
low for so long a period as the sixteen
years since 1882 AS things are, there
appears no means Of arresting this steady
decline In the revenues of the Established
Church in England before the minimum
cost OF production and transport OF Tor
eign wheat TO English ports has been
reached. unless a protective duty is
placed on its Importation.
Until then the grievances of the Eng
fish clergy VIII continue, or else the
financial difficulties in conjunction with
the ritualistic troubles now agitating the
country may ultimately lead TO the dis
establishment OF the Church and tile APP
of Its revenues TO other pur-
poses.