The San Francisco call., 1909-07-24
By HUGH SUTHERLAND
TFTth letter.

-n----Ns aAl- In my previous
letter I summarized the basis OF
the Irish land problem and briefly
reviewed the successive land acts which
have been passed in recent years by
parliament in an endesvor 10 solve il.
These eliminated in the Wyndham act
of 1903. by which the British treasury
was empowered 10 advance s5oo.eoo.ooo
80 aid tie irish tenantry in becoming
owners OF the land.
And what was the securitv-asfde
from The lsnd-for this huge loan2 Il
may interest those who deery the Irish
pessantry as improvident 70 know. The
security is the credit Of the Irish tenant
farmers, and what that credit is may be
measured from the fact that out Of
more than 10000 purchasers under pre-
vious acts only two failed TO meet
their payments.
The amounts received by the land
lords Is purchase money DO not, OF
course. yield incomes in interest equal
10 the sums extorted in rents. But on
the other hand they have security from
sgitation and further reductions Of
rent and in addition bonus of $50
ooe.o0o was provided 10 bridge the
gap" between former rents and the
incomes from purchase moneys.
Tenants Acquire Farms
Under this act. between November !,
1902. ana March 81. 1906. nearly 10000
holdings passed from the ownership of
landlords TO the ownership of tenants
Here Is the record for the four and a
half years ending March 81. 1908:
Number of estates upon which pur-
chase agreements have been reached 1851
Number q tenants Eho had made
purchase sgueszsuts- -----.---.- 1E.e7e
Purchase money sgreed upon sBOut. szss. o0o. 900
Under the land purchase acts. ii is
estimated, no less than 10000 tenants
have been made owners Of their farms
or are now in process Of acquiring own
ership- ! said At the beginning Of these
articles that an enormous advance had
been made in Ireland since my last
visit That the statement was true
lei these figures testify
There are stu. nevertheless, many
defects IL the law. but most OF these
VIII be remedieA by the amending act
now being pressed by the Irish parIia-
mentsry party upon the friendly liberal
government The chief reform viii be
The making Of sales by landlords com
pulsory When tenants on an unsold
estate md themselves paying rent,
while their neighbors on an adjoiN ing
estate are paying less sums annually
in purchase money. discomfort is inev-
ftabIe. This anomaly must. Of course,
Be extinguished- All England virtu-
ally realizes now that ireland viii
never be satisfied. and can not in JUS
tice be satisfied. until the last vestige or
her archaic and intolerabie system Of
lsndlordisrn has been swept away.
The Passing System
Before leaving the question Of land
reform. it may not be smiss TO quote an
undeniable authority for the statements
i have made concerning the land sys
ten which is now disappearing.
could MI page of this newspaper with
citations from statesmen such as Glad
stone. Bright. Chamberlain and Bal
four. besides economists like John Stu
art MIn. and various commissions
whose reports cumber the parlismen-
rsry files OF the last century. It viii
he suficienr 10 quote = few passages
rrom the hnal report OF the royal COM
mission on congestion in Ireland, dated
May :. 1905
This commission. appointed July 20.
1895. worked zealously for more than
two years. visited every part OF Ire
and. inspected conditions al close
range. and examined hundreds OF wit
nesses. whose testimony fills 10 big
rolumes. The members included the
earl OF Dudley. once lord Iieuten-
ant. sir Anthony Mcdonnell, former
chief secretary. the Most Rev. Patrick
ODonnen. bishop Of Raphoe. and other
distinguished men, Tie report says.
Questions Considered
Two questions naturally arise.
First how did districts SO little
capable OF supporting any popu-
iation al all come 10 be populated
very thickIy, as regards the pro-
ductive capacity OF the land: and.
second. how is il that in large
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