The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-31
100000 People Emerging !.
From Poverty to Plenty
Remarkable Success Crowns the Labors of the
Land Commissioners in Ireland
Continued From Page 5

eminent bought out the lands and titles
which the people once had to pay for
the support of the Anglican church in
ireland. This disestablishment was
one Of the beIateG acts Of justice which
mark the progress of Ireland in the
nineteenth century. The first income,
about s205 900. was increased later. and
capital grants were also made. The
present annual income is about $4,000.
PURCHASE OF CLARE ISLAND
one Of the earliest and most sue
cessful experiments by the board was
the purchase Of Clare island, off the
west coast of Mayo. Here the ex-
perts- learned TO deal with the intrica-
cies that had arisen under landlordism.
Most Of the land was held by the ten
ants under the system known as run
dale, an almost infinitely complicated
division and subdivision. For exam
ples a man SO years ago rented a few
acres of ground and by arduous labor
$ converted it into a Farm. AS his sons
grew up and his daughters married
he sub1et to sons and sons in law small
portions of his holding. AS the soil
varied IN value he did not rent each
one single portion, but small part
of each of half dozen or a dozen
fields In time these divisions were
eubdfvfded, deaths caused new adjust
ments and allotments, until when the
board bought the island only the te-
naeious memories of the Inhabitants
could decide the boundaries of each
mans holdings. And of course these
holdings We're scattered. A man who
paid rent for 10 acres might have il in
20 or 80 scattered patches: Many a
field OF single acre was titled in tiny
plots by six or eight different tenants.
This archaic system of rundale, in
deed. has confronted the board in all
its operations. Only by infinite pa
thence and infinite tact have the mem
bers been able to redivide the lands in
such a way as to give each tenant pur-
chaser a compact farm. IT was here
that they ran counter to complex
agreements and prejudiees. The man
who, by the labor of his hands, had
created from stony ground or swamp
20 plots of fertile land could not forget
the years Of heart breaking labor. The
farm offered to him in one compact
piece might. be as large and as good
as kis 20 plots. but into each of those
tiny patches he had poured his very
HifeblOod. and il was a bitter wrench
10 give them up. TO allay these sus-
ricfons and prejudices and 10 satisfy
the passionate longing of the people
for their own lands have been the most
delicate and difficult Of the boards
duties
BUILT FIVE MILE WALL
Clare island, then, was bought from
the landlord for SIS .0OO There was not
a fence on the island, and the cattle
and sheep. pastured in common. had to
be kept out Of the titled lands By
watchers Moreover, the titled ground,
as have explained, was divided with
. tiny, scattered patches, held under
agreements and suba greements in be-
wildering confusion. The boards first
act was to build a five mile wall clear
across the island, separating the graz
ing land from the tillage land. This
wall cost So ,000 When the tillage land
was thrown into a pool. as it We're, and
divided afresh among the tenants, each
man received in one section an equiv
alent for the scattered patches he had
held before. More than so miles of
fences. running from the main dividing
wall TO the sea, were constructed,
marking plainly the boundaries of each
mans farm. In all, the board spent
more on these improvements than it
had paid for the. land. Yet it lost only
a comparatively trifiing amount. 1t
tresold the land for $50 200 to the ten
ants. who contracted to pay annuities
Of 3A per cent. this covering the inter
est on the loan and creating a sinking
fund that wipes out the debt in about
6S years.
Now mark what was accomplished
here. All the interninable tangle of
land holding was Strengthened out. and
each farmer received a compact piece
of ground instead of a score or more
of detached and scattered patches, with
q consequent enormous saving in time
and labor. The grazing lands were
divided from the farms by a wall, and
the farms. from each other by fences.
And the occupiers paid less money an