The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-09

II the land tenure bill DO passed IN
its present form II will assure TO English
tenants compensation for improvements;
secondly, an unrestricted right to grow
what crops they please, and TO sell all
farm products, a right which at present
few possess; and thirdly, compensation
for disturbance, which obvioualy will
tend 10 promote Axlty Of tenure. Under
the first clause q tenant, on the termi-
nation Of his tenancy, will be entitled to
obtain from his landlord, In considers
ton Of any Improvement he may have
made, such q sum % fairly shall repre-
sent its value to an incoming tenant.
1t 10 patent that such q p~rovision will
tend 10 encourage good farming. A
things are now In England, many ton
ants, especially a the termination Of
their lease draws nigh, are loath to put
money into the land, feeling 1t to be
unsafe to spend capital in the develop
ment Of another man's property. II o
tenant were assured Of Teooupment for
his outlay. no would spend moro In arti-
Acial fertilizers and labor. and thus
secure larger crops, with the result that
he would be able to feed more stock and
produce moro manure, In the case OF
ireland It has been acknowledged by
Parliament that II by high forming a
tenant produces more, the value Of the
land is thereby increased, end the man
who effects tho increase. whether by
brains or by money, deserves TO be
remumerated. On what ground can the
application Of this equitable principle
TO English tenants DO refusedP With
the right TO remuneration for improve
ments may be coupled another given by
the bill. the right, namely, Of a tenant
farmer to obtain from his landlord COM
p~ensation for damage done TO his crops
by game in all cases whore the farmer
himself has not a. lawful right to kill.
No attempt 10 made by the bill to stop
the preserving and killing Of game, but
ID forbids the enjoyment Of the privilege
at the formers expense. That the JUS
tice OF such a provision can be contested
anywhere 10 scarcely conceivable on this
aide OF the Atlantic.
by another clause Of the proposed
measure the English tenant farmer Ia
relieved from the restrictions to which
at present he Is subject with reference
to the method OF cultivating the soil and
disposing Of its products. Az things
are now, most tenants are compelled 10
farm in accordance with the wishes Of
their landlords. They are tied to q par
ticular succession or rotation Of crops.
For the most part they are obliged to
follow Q System Of rotation which binds
them to grow first grain, next clover
or clover and grass, then grain again,
and finally roots, In four consecutive
Year,, Not only are they prohibited
from growing what they please, but they
cannot sell what they choose. OF the
four crops just mentioned they can sell
nothing but tho threshed grain; all the
other products they must buy live stock
consume, whatever price those prod
ucts may command In the market, or
whatever may DO the tenants need for
money. How this pinches will be plain
enough when we point out that meadow
hay brings in the London market from
$i7 so to sis, $50 a load of thirty-six trusses
Of eighteen Ihundredweight, whereas the
manure derivsble from that hay. II all
Of it were consumed on q farm. would
be worth only $7,i4. Straw brings from
$3.50 to $3.50 per thirty-six trusses of
pounds each. whereas It's value
as manure 10 only $3.50. In other words,
the manurial value Of hay or straw.
which most tenants are constrained by
their leases 10 content themselves with,
is trivial compared with the market
value. BY clause 4 OF the pending bill
II is provided that, notwithstanding any
contract or agreement, O tenant shall
have full right to cultivate, crop or dis
pose Of the products of his farm, with
out mourning such penalty al may be
imposed by his agreement, provided he
takes adequate care to protect the hold
ing from injury or deterioration. II in
the exercise Of such new privileges a
tenant injure his farm the landlord is
entitled to recover damages or to obtain
injunction restraining the infliction
Of injury.
The proposed revolution in the rela-
tions OF the English squire" to his tenant
farmers does not stop here. Not only
must q tenant farmer be at liberty to do
what he likes with his farm and with it's
products, subject only to restraint from
injuring the land, not only will he be
entitled to compensation for improve
ments ON the termination Of his tenancy,
but II a landlord refuses to renew his
lease the tenant will be entitled to
compensation for disturbance, II he can
show that ejectment from his home and
the sundering Of old associations would
be a hardship, or that the transfer to
another locality Of his business, such as
the sale OF milk and butter or meat to
local middlemen, with whom he has
bufit up q trade, would ause him pecu-
MARY loss. In a word, the land tenure
bill o pending treats the English ten
ant farmer as a human being possessed
Of rights, material and moral, which his
landlord IL bound to respect.
It will be observed that absolutely